When we look at celebrities with attractive looks, we use the expression “there is eye light”. This is because clear and clean eyes have a beauty that makes people fall in love with them.
Healthy eyes with clear pupils play an important role in leaving a favorable first impression. On the other hand, hazy pupils and bloody eyes can look tired and difficult to build trust.
Conjunctival nevus with spots on the eyes or yellowing of the whites is also not aesthetically pleasing. It can adversely affect vision or eye health, so it is necessary to manage it through an ophthalmic examination.
Conjunctival nevus is a symptom in which skin melanocytes are activated and turn black, resulting in nevus (dot) on the conjunctiva. If UV light induces the activation of melanocytes in the whites or if you rub your eyes, the conjunctiva may be injured and lead to conjunctival nevus.
In general, it appears in the form of dots on the white, but it spreads widely and the whole white looks yellow. It usually occurs near the pupil, and over time, the color may darken or increase in size.
The conjunctival nevus is located in the epithelial layer of the conjunctiva and is light in color and painless. It does not affect eye function. However, it does not look good and can cause mental stress. For this reason, there are many cases where removal is performed at the ophthalmologist.
In particular, if it is accompanied by pain or inflammation, if the pigment is widely distributed in the white of the eye, if the dot spreads and thickens toward the black, or if the location of the dot is unusual, it is recommended to visit a hospital for a diagnosis. Even when a conjunctival nevus develops following the age of 50, it can lead to serious diseases such as malignant tumors, so you must see an ophthalmologist.
Treatments for conjunctival nevus include laser, chemical peeling, and surgery. For the thin conjunctival nevus that has spread all over the white, laser treatment that burns or shaves off the epithelium with the nevus using a laser, and chemical dermabrasion that removes the epithelium with the nevus using chemicals.
Both procedures take a short time and you can go back to your daily life right away. Another advantage is that the recovery is quick. However, complex nevus and deep nevus, where the nevus spans several layers, are difficult to remove with a laser, so surgical methods may be required.
Although conjunctival nevus surgery is not complicated, there are some risk factors, such as the whites regenerating following removal and may even invade the black pupils. Therefore, sufficient caution is required before surgery, and it is recommended to receive a prescription from a medical team with abundant clinical experience and skilled technology.
In addition, protecting the eyes from UV rays, chronic eye surface irritation, and inflammation by wearing protective glasses and sunglasses can help prevent conjunctival nevus.
(Writing: Gangnam Grand Eye and Kwan-Hoon Lee, Representative Director)
