What Causes Raised Surface On The White Part Of Eye?

Posted on Fri, 6 Mar 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 6 Mar 2015 Answered on

Fri, 27 Mar 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : my daughter has an irritated right eye; large area of broken blood vessels and a raised irregular shaped area on the surface of the sclera. It is uncomfortable, not an intense sharp pain. Vision seems unaffected. Is there reason for concern regarding the raised surface region? How urgent is this?

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Pinguecula; nothing urgent but treatment based on severity

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Based on the provided description it appears as though your daughter may be suffering from pinguecula which is the raised surface on the white part of the eye (sclera). This usually occurs due to some amount of irritation caused by dust, foreign particles, rubbing the eyes, sun, etc.

Mild cases do not really require any medical attention and subside themselves, whereas, moderate and severe cases may require steroid or non-steroidal eye drops, just a one-time application. So for now, just let her rest and do not let her rub her eyes, clean her eyes with clean running water and let her rest. If her symptoms do not subside in about 3-5 hours then you can visit a medical store and request for eye drops. This is not really urgent and is a self-limiting condition.

I hope you find my response both helpful and informative. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar