A sudden rush to the optometrist is frequently precipitated by an awareness of a fresh bump that seems to have grown overnight on the white part of the eye. Sometimes someone will find it when looking in a mirror, or a new growth they see will be commented on by a relative. Sometimes cancer does cause developments to seem on the white part of the eye but that is pretty rare. More likely the lump is on the conjunctiva, the clear tissue overlaying the white part of the eye called the sclera. Typically this kind of development is very slow growing and not malignant, and usually is diagnosed as a pinguecula.
The appearance regularly has a slightly yellowish tinge, but in could be a white shade that is translucent. When they become moderately irritated, blood vessels heighten their visibility. Many new contact lens wearers spend significant time closely examining their eyes in a mirror than in the past as they learn to manage contact lenses. That is a common cause for first noticing a growth that probably has been present for several years.
It can be detected by its head a raised creamy, opaque tissue on the cornea though often not vision-threatening, severe pterygium can inflict corneal blindness both lesions are similar in cellular structures pinguecula cure is distinguishable from a pterygium by its position relative to the cornea and the flat orientation of its damaged tissues yet, a pinguecula can transform into a pterygium when it crosses over onto the cornea.
Additionally, it does not form a protective accretion of pigment from sunlight exposure the conjunctiva does not tan. Higher elevations equate with less atmosphere to filter out more dosage on the eye and afterwards UV radiation. The ultraviolet radiation acts to degrade the structural framework of the tissue including the elastic proteins and collagen. Over many year, the development slowly develops.
Long-term exposure to UV radiation can cause serious, irreversible damage. Conditions like cataracts, pterygium vergrowth of the conjunctiva, pinguecula eye degeneration, and also some forms of cancer for example melanoma of the eyelids have been linked to chronic UV radiation exposure.
