The Role of Bilirubin in the Development of Jaundice

When bilirubin deposits in tissues, whether it's the conjunctiva or other tissues, it specifically binds to elastin. Tissues that have high concentrations of elastin are more apt to become jaundice. There were reports of this dating way back to 1930. And so you would look at it and be like, wow, the sclera on the part of their eyeball that's dependent, that that sclera appears icteric. But it's actually just the fact that the Conjunctiva are edemists.