What causes conjunctival stones?

Stones are a very special disease that usually occur in the kidneys, ureters, gallbladder or bladder, which are all duct cavities or cavity organs. But there is a type of stone that appears in the eye, which is conjunctival stone. Understanding the causes of conjunctival stones will help us better prevent and treat them, and the response is the same as for other diseases. So, what causes conjunctival stones?

"Stones" often grow on the conjunctiva of the eye, which is medically called conjunctival calculi. Conjunctival stones are coagulation products of desquamated epithelial cells and degenerative cells accumulated in conjunctival epithelial depressions or deep tubular crypts. They have no or very little calcium deposits and are not true stones.

Conjunctival stones are more common in adults, mainly in patients with chronic eye diseases such as trachoma and chronic conjunctivitis. They often appear on the upper eyelid. There are hard, yellow-white, small dot-like protrusions on the conjunctiva, shaped like broken rice. Some are scattered in the form of dots, and some are densely packed in groups. At first, the stone is located deep and buried under the conjunctiva. Generally, there are no subjective symptoms. Later, it gradually emerges on the surface of the conjunctiva. Only when the nodule protrudes from the surface of the conjunctiva will there be a foreign body sensation, and it may even cause corneal abrasion. In this case, it can be removed with a knife tip or injection needle under surface anesthesia. If there are no irritation symptoms, no treatment is required.

If it is complicated by trachoma, chronic conjunctivitis and other diseases, the primary disease should be treated after provocation. However, most patients may continue to grow new stones after the stones are removed, and often require regular treatment to prevent corneal abrasion. According to traditional Chinese medicine, intraocular stones are caused by wind evil invading the spleen meridian, blocking the eyelids, and turning into heat over time, burning body fluids and causing stagnation in the eyelids. They can be treated with agents that clear the heart and spleen and heat, such as Neishu Huanglian Decoction with modifications.

the difference

In fact, although they are called stones, eye stones are different from true stones such as kidney stones and gallbladder stones. "Some people get nervous when they hear they have eye stones, thinking it's a serious illness that requires surgery. In fact, eye stones are just minor eye problems. There is no or very little calcium deposits, so they are not real stones." In order to reduce people's panic about eye stones, the medical community once wanted to rename it "conjunctival agglomerates", but most people still call it eye stones according to traditional habits.

When the eye stones are just small particles buried under the conjunctiva and do not protrude beyond the surface of the conjunctiva, the patient himself will not feel the existence of the stones and can ignore it for the time being. Once it "pops" out, it will irritate the eyelid and even scratch the cornea, making people feel like there is a foreign object in the eye and causing stinging. You can go to the hospital to have it removed. Picking out eye stones is just a minor operation and can be done in the outpatient clinic without the need for hospitalization. The operation is very simple. First, apply eye drops for surface anesthesia, clean the patient's eyes, and then use a needle to pick out the conjunctival mass. The cost is about 20 yuan.

However, some patients may continue to grow new stones after the stones are removed. This is because eye stones are often caused by eye inflammation. When the inflammation has not been eliminated, the stones are only removed symptomatically, the source of the disease has not been eliminated, and the disease may recur next time, just like acne on the face. If eye stones grow again and symptoms occur, continued treatment is needed to prevent corneal abrasion. Although regular removal of eye stones does not cause blindness, it is extremely troublesome. Therefore, if patients want to cure the disease, they must find out the real cause and confirm whether their stones are caused by chronic keratitis, and then treat the inflammation. Once the inflammation disappears, eye stones will no longer exist.