A rare cause of unilateral upper and lower eyelid swelling: isolated conjunctival amyloidosis.

Amyloidosis is a term encompassing a group of disorders characterized by the extracellular deposition of a substance called amyloid in various tissues. A very rare cause of chronic ocular discomfort is amyloidosis. We treated a patient with the above complaint in whom both eyelids were diffusely swollen with no other chronic ophthalmic complaints. Transconjunctival biopsy revealed amyloidosis and was confirmed on congo-red staining. Since we are aware that surgical excision may cause eyelid cicatrisation or secondary xerophthalmia, we explained the pros and cons of surgery to the patient. In view of the 12-year history and lack of other symptoms, the patient preferred to be kept under observation. Follow-up at two years did not reveal any significant increase in the size of the swelling. Therefore, we recommend that in a patient with amyloidosis with no visual/ocular impairment, the condition should be left alone without surgical intervention.