Teaching eye pathology
Enucleation specimen. Intractable raised intraocular pressure due to an iris mass. This is a low power view of the anterior segment (cornea, anterior chamber, iris, ciliary body and a piece of lens). The section is off-centre, and so the iris is continuous rather than having a central gap where the pupil is. The iris is… Continue reading Eye pathology case 7
Biopsy from a young adult with an orbital mass and pain For those of you sitting exams (whether ophthalmologists or histopathologists), this is a classic pattern to recognise. It shows cribriform ("sieve-like") architecture, sometimes compared to Swiss cheese for obvious reasons. There are nests of basaloid tumour cells containing punched-out cystic spaces filled with mucin.… Continue reading Eye pathology case 6
Persistent eyelid lump First, some background orientation. Here's a normal full-thickness eyelid. Epithelium forms a continuous cover of the surfaces, with epidermis at the top and conjunctiva at the bottom. Beneath the epidermis lies skeletal muscle (orbicularis). Deep to that lies the tarsal plate. The tarsal plate consists of dense fibroconnective tissue and the meibomian… Continue reading Eye pathology case 5
Temporal artery biopsies Temporal artery biopsies are submitted when there is a clinical concern about temporal arteritis (also known as giant cell arteritis—GCA—or cranial arteritis). Patients may initially present to the ophthalmologist with sudden and catastrophic visual loss (anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy). They may also have headache or more generalised symptoms such as joint pain… Continue reading Eye pathology case 4
