Idiopathic reactive hyperplasia of the retinal pigment epithelium

Objectives: To present and discuss 2 patients with acquired peripapillary pigmented lesions. Methods: We reviewed the patients' clinical records and histopathologic findings. Results: The first patient was diagnosed with a pigmented papillary lesion that was followed up for 38 years. The second patient was a child with neurofibromatosis type 1 who developed a pigmented peripapillary lesion following excision of an optic nerve glioma. Histologic findings in both cases demonstrated hyperplasia of the retinal pigment epithelium with associated findings. Conclusions: The lesions presented an idiopathic reactive hyperplasia of the retinal pigment epithelium. The clinical and histopathologic findings resemble findings reported with the combined hamartoma. We suggest that such lesions are reactive in nature, rather than hamartomatous.