Pterygium Surgery
What’s Pterygium Surgery ?
pterygium is a growth excess of tissue in the corner of the eye, which is often triangular in shape. If left untreated, the growth can extend across the pupil obscuring vision or distorting the surface of the eye Leading to blurred vision. Pterygia occurs twofold in males than females and is more common in people older than 40 years of age. It can affect either one or two eyes.
Causes of pterygium
Exposure to excessive amounts of ultra-violet (UV) light is thought to be the Major cause of pterygia. This more common occurs in people living in sunny areas and in people whose jobs expose them to UV light (e.g. farmers,fishermen, arc welders).The risk of pterygia is higher where ozone layer is not thick enough to filter UV light efficiently, e.g., New Zealand. Other factors that may cause development of pterygia include environmental irritants (e.g. wind, dust, chemicals, air pollution) and also family history of the disorder.
Pterygium Signs and Symptoms
- Eye redness and Ophthalmia.
- A gritty or burning feeling in the eye.
- A feeling that there is a foreign object in the eye.
- Dryness of the eye due to reduced tear production.
- Blurring of vision if the transparent layer at the front of the eye (cornea) is distorted
- Obscuring of vision if growth encroaches across the pupil.
Pterygium Removal
Pterygium treatment surgery
Pterygium treatment surgery is the only treatment that can eliminate a pterygium. Your optometrist or doctor may reference you to an eye surgeon. It is preferable to remove the pterygium before it grows throughout the cornea. Otherwise, it may scar the cornea and cause lasting vision problems.
Types Of Pterygium Surgery
Following removal of pterygium, patients may need to undergo different types of surgeries:
- Conjunctival autograph with sutures (CAG-s)
- Fibrin glue (CAG-g)
- Conjunctival rotational flap (CRF),
- Amniotic membrane transplantation with either suture (AMT-s) or with glue (AMT-g).
Steps Of Pterygium Surgery
Pterygium Excision Surgery
results in a recurrence rate as high as 80% and that is considered unacceptable. Excision along with adjunctive therapies such as mitomycin C or 5-fluorouracil can reduce the risk of recurrence to approximately 10%. However, the use of mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil may increase the risk of corneal or scleral melt postoperatively.
Pterygium Autograft Surgery
Pterygium autograft carries an approximate rate of recurrence of 5-10% with minimal risk of complications. Although, it is more time consuming, longer and more technically challenging procedure than the previous method Results indicate fewer recurrence rate.
Cost Of Pterygium Eye Surgery
The average reported cost for pterygium surgery and associated treatment in Iran is $540. The price can range from more than $540to $720
Risks of Pterygium Surgery
pterygium surgery side effects
In fact, the pterygium surgical procedure is fairly fast and low risk.
But in some cases, the complications post pterygium excision and auto-grafting include subconjunctival hemorrhage, graft edema, graft loss, retraction, graft sliding, granuloma, and recurrence. Less commonly corneal melt, perforation.
Before and After : Pterygium Surgery
Before Surgery
The pterygium surgery is a minimally invasive surgery. It generally takes no more than 30 to 45 minutes. Your doctor will most likely provide you with general guidelines to prepare for your pterygium surgery.
You should fast or only eat a light meal beforehand. In addition, if you wear contact lenses, you may be asked to not wear them for at least 24 hours before the procedure.
Because you’ll be lightly sedated, it may be needed to arrange transportation after the surgery, as you’ll be unable to drive yourself.
During pterygium surgery
pterygium surgery is fairly quick and low risk
- Your doctor will sedate you and numb your eyes to prevent discomfort during surgery. They will then clean the surrounding areas.
- Your doctor will remove the pterygium along with some adjacent conjunctiva tissue.
- Once the pterygium is removed, your doctor replace it with a graft of associated membrane tissue to prevent recurrent pterygium growths.
After Surgery
About 60% of patients experienceclinically significant pain. Following the pterygium surgery, it is normal to experience some discomfort and redness. It is also common to notice some blurriness during recovery. However, if you are starting to experience vision difficulties, a complete loss of vision, or notice pterygium regrowth, schedule a visit to your doctor.
Pterygium Surgery Recovery
Full Recovery can take several weeks to about a month.
age limit of pterygium surgery
Fortunately, there is no age limit for candidates of this surgery.
Exercise After Pterygium Surgery
To reduce the risk of bleeding, swelling and bruising, aerobic programs and other exercise programs are not allowed for at least two weeks. For more information, you can refer to the table below.
pterygium surgery recovery table
| Recommended | Not recommended for One Week | Not recommended for Two Week | Forbidden |
| Taking shower | eye makeup such as mascara | Swimming | Below to the eyes |
| antibiotic and steroid drops | moisturizer around the eye area | Jacuzzi | entry of chemicals into the eyes |
| sunglasses | Application of shampoo, soap | sauna | |
| Regular checkups with doctors | Office Work, Physical work | Aerobic | |
| sports |
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