EyeRounds Online Atlas of Ophthalmology
Contributor: Jordan M. Graff, MD, University of Iowa
Category: External Disease
Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis
Giant papillae are seen on the tarsal surface of the inverted superior lid. This patient recently underwent enucleation. Since being fit for her new prosthesis a few months ago, the patient has been noticing tearing and mucous discharge.
Hyperemia and papillary hypertrophy (especially on the superior tarsus) are classic signs. Mucous strands are seen both in the tear film and between the giant papillae.
In addition to prosthetic eyes, other foreign bodies may irritate the conjunctiva (including contact lenses, extruding scleral buckle elements, exposed sutures or filters) and can cause GPC.
External view of the same patient. Note that the remaining conjunctival bed is relatively quite compared to the inflamed and irritated superior palpebral surface in Figure 1.
Ophthalmic Atlas Images by EyeRounds.org, The University of Iowa are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
