Conjunctival Melanoma

Abstract

A 61-year-oldwhite woman was referred to our clinic in 1976 for a pigmented conjunctival lesion on the right eye. She had no history of ocular disease or trauma. Her visual acuity was 20/20 OU. The right globe showed bulbar conjunctival melanosis extending into the corneal periphery (Figure 1). No other ocular or systemic abnormal features were found. The patient was seen 6 times at monthly intervals, with no lesion progression until 1982 when a raised vascularized pigmented lesion appeared inferotemporally on the conjunctiva and invaded deeply into the cornea (Figure 2). A lamellar keratoplasty was performed to surgically extirpate the lesion and preserve the eye (Figure 3). Results of histologic examination revealed the presence of malignant conjunctival melanoma invading into the cornea (Figure 4). Almost 20 years after her initial visit, she has visual acuity of 20/60 OD (mainly because of cataract) but no clinical recurrence of her melanoma