A 35-year-old woman from rural Uganda presents with firm, painless, subcutaneous nodules on her shins bilaterally. Fine-needle aspirate reveals microfilariae surrounded by eosinophilic granulomatous tissue. She has no ocular symptoms and skin snips are positive for unsheathed microfilariae. In the context of onchocerciasis control, what is the role of nodulectomy (onchocercectomy)?