Eye
Conjunctiva
Other nonneoplastic
Cysts-conjunctiva
Author: Deepali Jain, M.D.
Last author update: 1 March 2013
Last staff update: 3 December 2024
Copyright: 2004-2025, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Cysts conjunctiva [title]
Cite this page: Jain D. Cysts-conjunctiva. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/eyecystsofconjunctiva.html. Accessed April 3rd, 2025.
Definition / general
- See also steatocystoma simplex
- Most are acquired due to surgery (Ophthalmology 2006;113:1049), trauma (Br J Anaesth 2005;95:825), foreign bodies or chronic inflammation
- Also due to parasites, vernal keratoconjunctivitis (Korean J Ophthalmol 2007;21:251)
- Usually on nasal conjunctiva and lower fornix
- Most (65%) conjunctival nevi are also cystic (Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2007;18:351); some tumors such as lymphangioma can be highly cystic
- Cyst may be injected with Healon V and trypan blue to facilitate visualization and excision
(Cornea 2005;24:759)
- Dermoid cysts or 'conjunctivoid':
- See also dermoid tumor
- Young adults in contrast to skin dermoid
- Usually located in nasal or superonasal deep orbit
- Lined by stratified squamous epithelium, contains cutaneous adnexae (Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2006;22:137)
- Rarely lipogranulomas from cyst rupture
- May have oncocytic differentiation (Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2008;24:69)
- Inclusion cysts:
- One or two cell lining of nonkeratinized epithelium containing goblet cells
- May have apocrine snouts resembling apocrine glands
- May be associated with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2006;22:475)
Case reports
- 41 year old (Cornea 2013;32:513) and 54 year old men with keratinous cyst of the palpebral conjunctiva that represents trichilemmal keratinization (Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2009;25:337)
Clinical images
Images hosted on other servers:
Multiloculated conjunctival cyst
Gross description
- Usually translucent to light blue
