Four small bees have been pulled alive from inside a woman's eye, with doctors saying the insects were drinking her tears.

Tiny legs were seen wriggling in her eye socket after she went to Taiwan's Fooyin University Hospital believing she had an infection caused by dirt or sand.

The woman, identified only by her surname 'He', had tried to wash out her eye but the pain got worse and it swelled up.

The tiny bees - which were were pulled out intact and alive - flew into Ms He's eye as she cleaned around a relative's grave.

"I was visiting and tidying a relative's grave with my family. I was squatting down and pulling out weeds," she told reporters.

Dr Hung Chi-ting told a news conference that he discovered the bees under a microscope.

The doctor said it was lucky the woman did not rub her eyes vigorously as it could have caused the bees to sting, potentially leading to blindness.

Pictures of the bees in Ms He's eye were shown on Taiwanese TV, after she and Dr Hung appeared to talk about the strange discovery.

The insects were later identified as Halictidae - or 'sweat bees'.

They have been known to drink tears from human eyes in more than 262 naturally-occurred cases in Thailand.

Less typically, they also drink sweat.

It is believed they drink tears for their high protein content in addition to, or in lieu of pollen, rather than only for salts and water.

Additional reporting: IRN