Exfoliating goblet cell hyperplasia mimicking pterygium: a clinicopathological case report

We present an interventional case report of exfoliating goblet cell hyperplasia mimicking pterygium. A 44-year-old male with bilateral lesions of the nasal bulbar conjunctiva extending over the cornea, consistent with pterygia, underwent surgical excision of the lesion in his left eye. Histopathologic examination revealed an exophytic lesion made up of proliferated goblet cells with benign cytologic features. Some of the goblet cells were atrophic and seemed to be desquamating from the lesion surface. Cytologic examination of a tear specimen collected from the right eye revealed the presence of exfoliated goblet cells admixed with mucin material. The lesion had not recurred three months after surgery. Exfoliating goblet cell hyperplasia, a condition not previously reported on the ocular surface, may mimic pterygium. Histopathologic examination is required to establish the diagnosis.