Eyelid Molluscum Contagiosum Lesions in Two Patients with Unilateral Chronic Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis for many people sounds like something that is very dangerous but in
reality it is just a fancy word for pink eye. Pink eye for the most part doesnt have to do with
poop in ones eyes. Pink eye just occurs when an infection or irritation occurs in the eye. Some
forms of conjunctivitis can be early signs of herpes or HIV.
In this experiment Molluscum contagiosum (MC) was the cause of conjunctivitis. MC is
characterized by pimple like lesion or cuts found on the skin. Human are the only known host for
this virus and it is transmitted though skin contact or sexual intercourse. This virus can
commonly be found in warm places with low hygiene standards. People are known to have
contracted this virus in saunas, gyms or even swimming pools. MC can sometimes be easily
identified as small pimples located on the face head torso or genital areas.
For the purpose of this study, 2 patients were admitted for help with chronic
conjunctivitis which turned out to be MC lesions associated with the eye lids. The first patient
was a 5 year old female with a lesion on her right eye which was growing for 3 months. She had
been to multiple ophthalmologists that overlooked the lesion and thought it was not harmful. Her
vison was not altered because of this lesion but she had reported a burning pain in her right eye.
Patient 1 can be seen below listed as picture A on the left. The patient was treated for 2 weeks
with 5 eye drops a day of moxifloxacin to reduce the inflammation and irritation.
Patient 2 can be seen in the picture on the right. She is a 24 year old female who came in
because of swelling in her right eye lid that had been occurring for 2 months. Her vision was still
a perfect 20/20 but she was still concerned because of the pimple growing on the outside of her
eye lid. A cotton swab samples was taken and tested for HIV and hepatitis A, B, and C. Patient 2
was treated similarly to patent 1 with the addition of moxifloxacin but the drops did not help.

The results found that although the MC virus was found roughly around the same time,
different treatments were needed due to the availability of antibodies found in the 2 patients. The
immune system found in the young girl only needed a little help to fight off the virus however
the older womens immune system needed a stronger solution. Both patients are still under
examination for the virus, multiple months following the cure because recent studies have found
that this virus reoccurs often and can be signs of AIDS, HIV or herpes.
I find this article very fascinating because many people dont realize the important of
annual eye examinations. The eyes are a very important organ of the body and will show signs of
many health issues if properly monitored. The two patients in this study did not think anything
was wrong because they could still see perfectly clear however they did not know the small
pimples growing could be linked with many immune deficiencies.

References:

Serin, ., Oflaz, A. B., Karabal, P., Gedik, ., & Bozkurt, B. (2017). Eyelid Molluscum Contagiosum Lesions
in Two Patients with Unilateral Chronic Conjunctivitis. Turkish Journal Of Ophthalmology / Turk
Oftalmoloji Dergisi, 47(4), 226-230. doi:10.4274/tjo.52138