- Excessive exposure to outdoor condition such as ultraviolet
radiation, drying and trauma from wind and dust has been proposed
as the etiology of this conjunctival change
- Clinical features:
- Symptoms:
- Often asymptomatic or only cosmetic
- Rarely cause visual impairment
- May cause serious threat to vision if it progresses to visual
axis
- Signs:
- Raised triangular growth of bulbar conjunctiva which invades
the cornea, and like a pinguecula is predominantly located nasally
- Progression of pterygium may be very slowly over many years.
- Management:
- Routine ocular examination is suggested to determine whether
the pterygium is active by the degree of the vascular injection
in the bulk of tissue and growth of the leading edge encroaching
on the visual axis.
- Surgical removal is indicated if the lesion causes discomfort
or local irritation, significant visual impairment, or restriction
of lateral gaze.
- Beta irradiation, mitomycin-C and free conjunctival autograft
have all been used to reduce the recurrence rate.
- Recurrence rate is high, especially in those countries with constant
high exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
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