A 70-year-old woman presented with a conjunctival cyst after a towel hit her left eye (LE) 2 weeks prior. She was initially prescribed with retinyl acetate, aminoacids, methionine, and chloramphenicol ointment as well as a lubricant eyedrop for 7 days; these did not provide resolution. Ophthalmological examination revealed a translucent conjunctival inclusion cyst surrounded by several small vessels in the LE temporal side (Figure 1A). Following administration with 0.5% timolol maleate eyedrops twice daily, the inclusion cyst completely resolved 2 weeks later. Figure 1B shows the conjunctiva of the LE 50 days after the patient’s initial presentation.

Although rare, acquired conjunctival cysts⁽¹⁾ may develop due to local trauma. Surgical excision is usually indicated⁽²⁾. Before excision, timolol maleate was initially prescribed, hypothesizing that the vessels surrounding the cyst might possess beta-adrenergic receptors similar to pyogenic granulomas and capillary hemangiomas^(3,4), which are effectively treated with beta-blockers.

AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTION

Substantial contribution to conception and design: Rosalia Antunes-Foschini, Lívia Feitosa Alves. Acquisition of data: Rosalia Antunes-Foschini. Analysis and interpretation of data: Rosalia Antunes-Foschini. Drafting of the manuscript: Lívia Feitosa Alves. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Rosalia Antunes-Foschini, Lívia Feitosa Alves. Have given final approval of the submitted manuscript: Rosalia Antunes-Foschini, Lívia Feitosa Alves. Statistical analysis: not applicable. Obtaining funding: not applicable.

REFERENCES

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2. Song JJ, Finger PT, Kurli M, Wisnicki HJ, Iacob CE. Giant secondary conjunctival inclusion cysts: a late complication of strabismus surgery. Ophthalmology. 2006;113(6):1049.e1-2.

3. Oke I, Alkharashi M, Petersen RA, Ashenberg A, Shah AS. Treatment of ocular pyogenic granuloma with topical timolol. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(4):383-5.

4. Jaiswal H, Patidar N, Shah C, Singh R, Jain E, Piyush P. Topical timolol 0.5% as the primary treatment of ophthalmic pyogenic granuloma: A prospective, single-arm study. Indian J Ophthalmol [Internet]. 2021 ][cited 2023 Jan 24];69(5):1155-60.Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8186631/

Submitted for publication: November 13, 2023.
Accepted for publication: February 2, 2024.

Funding: This study received no specific financial support.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: None of the authors have any potential conflicts of interest to disclose.