Website launched to raise public awareness of rare parasitic eye infection

Japanese academic, Masafumi Uematsu, has established a website in the hope of raising the public profile of microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis

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A group of female athletes play rugby on a muddy field

Getty/AleksandarNakic

Selina Powell

24 June 2026

A new website aims to promote awareness among both clinicians and members of the public of a rare parasitic eye infection, microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis (MKC).

Nagasaki University associate professor, Masafumi Uematsu, shared with OT that as well as boosting the profile of MKC, the website aims to improve early recognition of the eye condition.

“As cases of MKC are increasingly recognised in Japan, particularly after outdoor sports activities on muddy fields, I felt there was a need for an accessible educational resource in Japanese,” he said.

Masafumi Uematsu

Professor Masafumi Uematsu, of Nagasaki University

The website, which is also available in English, contains separate sections for the general public and for healthcare professionals.

It was launched following an MKC outbreak that affected more than 100 Australian athletes in March this year.

Uematsu is currently sharing the website through ophthalmology networks and professional contacts.

“We are also exploring the use of the public-friendly term ‘wet field eye” alongside the formal name microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis, as this may help improve public awareness and prevention,” he said.

Uematsu and colleagues have previously published research outlining the environmental catalysts behind two MKC outbreaks among 16 Japanese athletes in 2022 and 2023.