Degenerative Changes of the Conjunctiva

Pinguecula is lipoma. It arises mainly in old people near the in­ternal, and sometimes near the external edge of the cornea as small yellow areas of three-cornered form, which protrude above the lev­el of the unchanged conjunctiva. The disease is caused by the de­generative change of tissue, irritation of conjunctiva by the exog­enous factors (dust, wind).

Treatment is not needed. Surgical removal with a cosmetic pur­pose is possible.

Pterygium, a wing-like hymen, is three-cornered fold of conjunc­tiva, accreted with the surface of the cornea.

As a rule, pterygium appears near the internal edge of the cor­nea, rarely — near the external one. It occurs more often in peo­ple who all the time yield to the air, that contains many admix­tures irritating the conjunctiva and the cornea.

Pterygium, making progress, can reach the pupil's area, reduc­ing the visual acuity.

Treatment is surgical: cutting away of pterygium with the su­perficial layers of the cornea, with lamellar keratoplasty or with­out it.

Tumours of the Conjunctiva

Lipodermoids are benign, inborn tumours of the conjunctiva, which locate near the edge of the cornea or in the external part of the conjunctival sac. The former have an appearance of dense small tumours, the others — thick fold of rather yellow-white color, the basis of which penetrates deep into the orbit, where passes to adi­pose tissue.

Angiomas of the conjunctiva are met often enough. They con­sist of thick interlacements of the dilatated veins or united vein cav­ities. They are inclined to subsequent diffuse spread, therefore should be removed.

Birthmarks (naevi) of the eyeball conjunctiva are non-pigman-ted as white spots and pigmanted — as brown-black spots. Birth­marks can grow, but remain benign, however, melanoma can de­velop from them.

Carcinomas belong to malignant tumours which pass to the con­junctiva from the skin of eyelids. At first they have an appearance of a flat wart. Overgrowing, carcinomas grow into epithelial tis­sue. Spreading by the epibulbar way, they can cover the cornea. Sometimes carcinomas invade into the eye.

Treatment. Close-focus roentgenotherapy, laser cryoablation or operative treatment, up to the excision of the eyeball (enucleation, orbital exenteration).

Date: 2014-12-21; view: 1270