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Mark B. Abelson, MD; Nalini Madiwale, MB, BS; Judith H. Weston

Arch Ophthalmol. 1983;101(4):555-556.

Abstract
• Tarsal conjunctival scrapings of 317 patients with allergic ocular disease demonstrated that eosinophils were found infrequently in scrapings of patients with mild allergic conditions and were found in only 63% (17/27) of the patients with vernal conjunctivitis. In similar studies of a 12-year-old boy with vernal keratoconjunctivitis, no eosinophils were recovered in his scraping, even though 12 eosinophils were found in five high-power fields of his biopsy specimen. We conclude that eosinophils present in the deep and superficial conjunctival tissues may not be recovered in scrapings; their absence from scrapings should not preclude the diagnosis of allergic ocular disease.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, (Dr Abelson), the Cornea Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Dr Abelson), and the Department of Cornea Research, Eye Research Institute of Retina Foundation (Drs Abelson and Madiwale and Ms Weston), Boston.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 15, 1982.

Reprints not available.

This investigation was supported in part by a research grant from CooperVision Pharmaceuticals Ine (Dr Abelson), and the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, Inc.

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