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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Year : 2011  |  Volume : 52  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 66  

A ball of cotton wool masquerading as a conjunctiva mass


Department of Ophthalmology, Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Nigeria

Date of Web Publication29-Apr-2011

Correspondence Address:
O O Komolafe
Department of Ophthalmology, Federal Medical Centre, Owo
Nigeria
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


PMID: 21969031

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How to cite this article:
Komolafe O O, Omolade C O. A ball of cotton wool masquerading as a conjunctiva mass. Niger Med J 2011;52:66

How to cite this URL:
Komolafe O O, Omolade C O. A ball of cotton wool masquerading as a conjunctiva mass. Niger Med J [serial online] 2011 [cited 2024 Mar 28];52:66. Available from: https://www.nigeriamedj.com/text.asp?2011/52/1/66/80105

Sir,

We report an unusual form of ocular foreign body in a 3year - old girl who presented clinically with a right conjunctiva mass in the right eye of 3 weeks duration. There was associated recurrent discharge and occasional periorbital swelling. No previous trauma or surgery to the eye. Examination showed best corrected visual acuity of 6/6 in both eyes. There was a 10mm by 6mm mass in the lateral 3 rd of the inferior fornix of the right eye. The rest of both eyes were normal. While attempting to excise the mass, it shelled out completely with minimal bleeding revealing a yellowish white fluffy material [Figure 1] which on polarized microscopy was cotton wool.
Figure 1:

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There have been several reports on retained wooden materials [1] and sutures [2] but not so much have been reported on retained cotton wool ball in the conjunctiva fornix. An excision biopsy was in line considering the appearance of the lesion which gave an initial clinical impression of a conjunctiva papilloma or a conjunctiva inclusion cyst. Inclusion cyst of the conjunctiva had been found in association with ocular surgery, inflammatory conditions or trauma. [3] There had been a reported case resulting from chronic vernal conjunctivitis [4] and retained hair. [5]

The source of the cotton wool in this case could not be ascertained. The possibility of an older sibling using cotton wool buds which are small wad of cotton wrapped around the end of short rod to clean the lids of a younger sibling cannot be overlooked. This case report helps to further reinforce the need for better parental attention to children handling of potential foreign bodies.

 
   References Top

1.Liu D. Common Denominators in retained orbital wooden foreign body. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010; 26: 454 - 458.  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.Chung H. S, Feder R. S, Weston B. C, Bryar P. J. Suture reaction masquerading as a conjuctival malignancy. Can J Opthalmol. 2006; 41: 207 - 209.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.Shield J. A, Shield C. L. Tumors of the conjunctiva and Cornea. In: Smolin G, Thaft R. A, ed. The Cornea. Scientific foundations and clinical practice. 3 rd ed. Boston; Little, Brown, 1994: 586 - 595.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4.Lee S, Lee S, Jin K. Conjuctival Inclusion Cysts in Long - standing chronic vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Korean J Ophthalmol. 2007; 21: 251 - 254.  Back to cited text no. 4
    
5.Lavina A. M, Mawn L. A, Fan X, O'Day D. M, Ten N. Unilateral Follicular Conjunctivitis with retained hair and Pseudomonal Infection. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001; 119: 901 - 903.  Back to cited text no. 5
    


    Figures

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