CLINICAL CASES The pinguecula is a degenerative lesion which is usually asymptomatic, except when it is associated with an inflammatory reaction. We present 2 clinical cases of patients that had symptomatic pinguecula, in which intra-lesional betamethasone in depot form was used as treatment, obtaining a significant clinical improvement. DISCUSSION The administration of intra-lesional betamet...

PURPOSE There is now increasing evidence that pterygium and pinguecula are tumorlike tissues and that cell growth and DNA replication are closely linked to cholesterol metabolism. In this study, the expression of two main genes correlated to cholesterol metabolism--namely, the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) gene and the hydroxy-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A-reductase (HMG-CoA-R) gene--wer...

PURPOSE To investigate the differentiation of conjunctival epithelium and tear film function in pingueculae. METHODS Twelve patients (12 eyes) who underwent simple excision for pingueculae were enrolled in the study. Immunostaining for K14, K19, K10, MUC5AC, Pax6, P63, Ki67, and K16 was performed on the pinguecula epithelium and normal conjunctival epithelium. Schirmer I test results and tear...

While pterygium is considered a common eye disorder, the etiology and pathogenesis is still not known. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of pterygium and pinguecula in the over 40 population of Shahroud and assess associated factors. The present study is part of the phase one of the Shahroud Eye Cohort Study conducted in 2009, in which the target population was people between...

PURPOSE To analyze the autofluorescence (AF) properties of pinguecula using cobalt-blue and yellow filters and to investigate the nature and pathogenesis of pingueculae using histochemical and immunohistochemical staining. METHODS Fifty pingueculae in 40 patients were included in this study. AF of the pingueculae was observed and analyzed using a cobalt-blue filter with an additional yellow f...

Ninety two patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) were examined ophthalmically in a paired case control study. The incidence of pinguecula and of pterygium was 8 and 2 times higher respectively, in PCT patients than in the control group. The photodamage to the conjunctiva is considered to be a result of the photoactivity of uroporphyrin in the tissues.