Unusual intracytoplasmic inclusions in a case of idiopathic scleritis

Large cells containing prominent, refractile PAS-positive inclusions were found in cytological smears prepared from scrapings of the conjunctiva of an elderly diabetic patient with idiopathic scleritis progressing to scleromalacia perforans. Electron-microscopic study of these inclusions revealed them to be intracellular accumulations of dense, flocculent mucoid material within vacuoles whose interior surface was frequently decorated with microvilli. Similar inclusions have been reported in a number of neoplasms in nonocular tissue. The significance of these findings with regard to the patient's condition is not understood.