Pet Tarantulas & Eye Injuries

 
 
Tarantulas have an interesting defense mechanism where they can throw off tiny barbed hairs in the direction of an enemy.
 
One British man learned just how effective those little hairs could be when while cleaning his pet spider's tank he got a little too close to his pet. Those tiny little barbed hairs ended up embedded in his cornea.
 
He was first misdiagnosed in February 2009 as suffering from conjunctivitis. When treatment proved ineffective, doctors looked a little harder and found the tarantula hairs about 3 weeks later. It was only then that the spider's owner recalled the hair-raising experience with his pet.
 
As late as August, he was still suffering from the encounter with mild discomfort.
 
The story is only in the news this month because it recently appeared in the UK journal of medicine called The Lancet.
 
Tarantula owners are cautioned to always wear some form of eye protection when handling their pets to avoid a similar painful experience.