Enlarging Pigmented Eyelid Mass Associated with Remote Pencil Trauma

The authors present a case of a gradually enlarging pigmented mass of the upper eyelid and anterior orbit that was discovered to be the graphite tip of a pencil surrounded by macrophages bearing graphite and fibrous tissue. A 25-year-old woman with no medical history presented with a gradually enlarging pigmented lesion of her left upper eyelid. She denied any history of previous skin cancer, trauma, or previous surgery. A biopsy was performed. This revealed an encapsulated grayish, pigmented mass within the medial portion of the left upper eyelid and anterior orbit. Within the pigmented cocoon, the graphite core of a pencil (“pencil lead”) was identified. Histopathology demonstrated granulomatous inflammation with fibrosis and macrophages.