Rhinosporidiosis of the Eye

RHINosPoRIDIosIs is a local inflammatory condition, taking the form of a polypoid growth composed of granulation tissue. This is due to a fungus known as Rhinosporidium seeberi (first described by Seeber), which commences its life cycle as a parasite measuring 8,u but grows by nuclear division until it reaches a size of about 200 to 300 ,u and contains over 4,000 nuclei, which form 16,000 spores. The mature parasite, now called Sporangium, presents a double-contoured chitinous envelope with a germinal spore through which the spores are discharged. Each spore subsequently develops into a separate Sporangium. This fungus occurring in the eye may give rise to oculosporidiosis, as its manifestations in the eye and its adnexa are more prevalent than that in the nose (rhinosporidiosis). Rambo (1949) described the diagnosis and treatment of rhinosporidiosis of the lacrmal sac, but my own observations regarding this infection differ from those he describes. This article is therefore designed to illustrate the protean manifestations of oculosporidiosis in the eye and its adnexa in a series of 25 patients from the hospitals in Kerala.