Another super common eye condition, mostly among patients over about 60. These are small, hard "rock-like" deposits in the palpebral conjunctiva. They are a common cause of "foreign body sensation" (feels like something is in your eye) and are a common reason for patients to come in complaining. It was once thought that these were CALCIUM deposits, since they are usually white or off-white, but it turns out they are made of hyalin (another connective tissue) and keratin (from skin cells). They're usually attributed to aging and chronic inflammation, however it is my personal, unproven opinion that they could be caused by chronic dry eye. For treatment we usually do nothing, as they tend to fall out on their own eventually. I suggest heavy artificial tear usage, both to lube the scratchy feeling of the deposit scraping your eye, and to try and alleviate the chronic dryness that may have caused it in the 1st place. Occasionally I'll take a needle and "scoop" one out, if its particularly bothersome and in a bad place (over central cornea, etc). I have also been known to use a bandage contact lens to protect the eye until the offending deposit drops out.
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