Conjunctival reactive epithelial hyperplasia in a black African patient- a case report

Abstract

Background: Reactive hyperplasia can occur in any part of the body but of concern is occurrence adjacent to certain neoplasm such as cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma, granular cell tumor, spitz nevus and melanoma. Ocular reactive epithelial hyperplasia is not as common as ocular reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. This is the first reported case in our environment. The patient was concerned about his cosmetic appearance, comments of friends and fear of eye problem in future. We report the case of a 32 year old patient with painless, progressive swelling of the conjunctiva following stone injury to the eye while on a bike 5 years earlier. A traumatic conjunctival cyst to rule out melanoma was the initial diagnosis. We therefore, managed the case by excision biopsy and histology report was in keeping with conjunctival reactive epithelial hyperplasia. One year after removal, he was free of any swelling and had no complaints. Conclusion: Excision biopsy is effective and it will assist in ruling out neoplasm and taking care of the patient’s cosmetic problem.