Conjunctival and Corneal Tumors: Benign Epidermal and Melanocytic Tumors

Benign tumors of the conjunctiva are much more common than malignant tumors of the conjunctiva. In this chapter, benign tumors of epithelial and melanocytic origin, which comprise the majority of the conjunctival tumors, are described. The most common benign epithelial lesions of the conjunctiva are the squamous papillomas, many of them mainly in children, which are associated with human papilloma virus infection. Other much less frequent lesions of the conjunctiva are the inverted papilloma, seborrheic keratosis, keratoacanthoma, oncocytoma, and actinic keratosis. Among the benign melanocytic conjunctival lesions, the various types of conjunctival nevi are the most common ones, followed by primary acquired melanosis without atypia. Most of the benign conjunctival lesions can be treated by surgical excision alone, although various alternative and adjuvant methods have been used extensively.