'Hairy Eyeball' Tumor Covers Eye With Hair (PHOTO)
A rare tumor unknown to many has caused a 19-year-old man to grow hair on his eyeball.
An Iranian man has drawn attention after growing several black hairs on the center of his eyeball. The condition was caused by tumor that the man has had since birth called Limbal dermoids, but the tumor did not begin to sprout hairs until recently. Dermoid describes any growth of microscopic tissue in an abnormal place. (Click here, for photo.)
"These rare tumors occur when a certain kind of tissue in an embryo, called ectodermal tissue, becomes misplaced in the developing brain. This causes the formation of a fluid-filled cyst, called an ectodermal inclusion cyst, that makes up the tumor," the New York Presbyterian hospital reported on its website.
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Surprisingly, the tumor does not inflict with vision, according to reports, although it can be removed for cosmetic reasons.
Other cases of Limbral dermoid have occurred. One eye doctor suggested that at least one or two patients have had the condition, according to a Live Science report.
While many patients may chose not to have the tumor removed, in the case of the Iranian man, he had complained of blurred vision. The tumor was successfully removed without harm.
The condition can also cause tumors to grow in other unusual places including on the brain and skull. Many internet users were unaware of any such condition.
"Never seen anything like that before!" one user wrote on the Documenting Reality blog.
