DEFICIENCY OF THE EYELIDS. COLOBOMA PALPEBRARUM.
The term coloboma representing merely a hiatus or deficiency is applied to different parts of the eye according as there may be a lack of substance of the part in question:—Coloboma palpebrarum (deficiency of the palpebræ or lids), C. iridis (perforation of the iris), and C. choroideæ (partial absence of the choroid).
Coloboma palpebrarum is usually congenital and takes the form of a vertical notch on the upper lid, separating its two lateral parts into independent flaps. According to the breadth and depth of the notch are the extent of the exposure of the bulbar conjunctiva and the liability to irritation and infection by foreign bodies. The same condition of things will occur traumatically and require identical measures of repair. These consist in paring the edges of the notch and bringing them accurately together with catgut, silk or quilled suture, the approximation being rendered more perfect by the application of collodion, shellac or gelatine mixture (see wounds of eyelids). The vascularity and extensibility of the tissues of the lids greatly favor a kindly healing. Rubbing of the eye must be guarded against as advised under wounds of the eyelids.