Loa Loa worms (also known as the “eye worm”) are classified as filarial worms, meaning they thrive in human tissue. The Loa Loa worm is also called the “eye worm” because they often migrate through the eye and surrounding subsurface areas. At one time, prior to the 1920s, loa loa worm infections occurred in the United States. Today, however, they mainly infect people who are native to Sudan, and those who live in or near Central and West Africa’s swamps and rain forests.