Question:easy
A patient presents in eye OPD with this finding. What is it?
A patient presents in eye OPD with this finding. What is it?
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A triangular, wing-shaped fold of fibrovascular conjunctiva creeping from the nasal limbus onto the cornea is the giveaway.
Updated On: Jun 22, 2026
- Dermoid
- Lipodermoid
- Pterygium
- Papilloma
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Recognise the pattern first. A wing-shaped triangle of vascular tissue running from the conjunctiva across the limbus onto the cornea is the textbook look of a pterygium ('pterygion' = little wing). It typically starts nasally because reflected UV light concentrates there, and is common in people with high sun, dust and wind exposure.
Why pterygium fits. Pathologically it is elastotic (actinic) degeneration of subconjunctival tissue with fibrovascular proliferation that advances onto the cornea. The apex (head) points toward the pupil; the body lies over the limbus. Patients complain of a red, gritty eye and, if it reaches the visual axis, blurred vision or astigmatism. The photograph matches this exactly.
Contrast with the look-alikes.
- Dermoid: a congenital, raised, rounded, solid whitish mass straddling the limbus, sometimes with hairs - not a flat fold.
- Lipodermoid: a soft yellow fatty mass at the outer (temporal) canthus or fornix, separate from the cornea.
- Papilloma: a soft, pink, lobulated cauliflower-like surface growth, not a triangular limbal sheet.
Conclusion: the finding is a Pterygium (Option C).
Why pterygium fits. Pathologically it is elastotic (actinic) degeneration of subconjunctival tissue with fibrovascular proliferation that advances onto the cornea. The apex (head) points toward the pupil; the body lies over the limbus. Patients complain of a red, gritty eye and, if it reaches the visual axis, blurred vision or astigmatism. The photograph matches this exactly.
Contrast with the look-alikes.
- Dermoid: a congenital, raised, rounded, solid whitish mass straddling the limbus, sometimes with hairs - not a flat fold.
- Lipodermoid: a soft yellow fatty mass at the outer (temporal) canthus or fornix, separate from the cornea.
- Papilloma: a soft, pink, lobulated cauliflower-like surface growth, not a triangular limbal sheet.
Conclusion: the finding is a Pterygium (Option C).
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