Induction of ligneous conjunctivitis by conjunctival surgery.

PURPOSE/METHODS: A woman with ligneous conjunctivitis of the left upper eyelid underwent conjunctival autograft transplant from the left lower to the upper eyelid. The disease in the upper eyelid persisted, and the previously healthy lower eyelid developed ligneous conjunctivitis at the autograft donor site.

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The conjunctivitis was aggressively treated with multiple surgical debridements and topical and oral medications, including topical cyclosporine. The conjunctivitis slowly resolved over the course of seven months, with the longest persistence in the upper eyelid at the junction between the original tissue and the autograft. We conclude that the conjunctival transplant surgery worsened ligneous conjunctivitis in this patient's upper eyelid and induced it in her lower eyelid.