What is a Pterygium?
It is often wedge or triangular shaped. This benign growth can obscure or distort your vision and lead to significant visual loss if ignored.. It also needs to be differentiated from cancerous lesions.
Pterygium treatment
Pterygium causes
Being exposed to excessive amounts of UV, or ultra-violet light is thought to be the most significant cause of a pterygium. This condition occurs more often in people living in areas that have warm sunny climates. Workers exposed to UV light such as arc welders, fisherman or farmers are at a higher risk of developing a pterygium.
Other factors that may cause the development of pterygia include:
- Pollen
- Dust
- Wind
- Air pollution
- Chemicals
- Smoke
- Sand
- Family history of the disorder
What are the symptoms of a pterygium?
In many cases, you may not experience any symptoms and if you do, they are usually mild. They may not cause you any discomfort and you may not experience any changes in your vision. The early stages of a pterygium may not even be noticeable. If you wear contact lenses, you may need to remove them due to discomfort. Here are some common symptoms to look out for:
- Redness of the eye or conjunctiva
- Eye irritation
- A dry, burning or itching sensation in one or both of your eyes
- A sensation of having sand or a foreign object in your eye
- Blurred vision – You will experience this if the growth spreads to the cornea in the centre of the eye
Who is at risk?
The condition occurs twice as frequently in males than females. Individuals who work or spend excessive amounts of time outdoors are at risk. People who are older than 40 years are at risk. Chronic exposure to sunlight and those living in rural environments are the leading demographic risk factors that can cause the development of a pterygium.
Preventing a pterygium
It would be advisable to avoid exposure to environmental factors such as dust, pollen, wind, and sunlight in your eyes. Prevention includes shielding your eyes from these elements by wearing sunglasses or a hat. Limiting your exposure to these factors can significantly slow down its growth.
Pterygium treatment and surgery
In consultation with your ophthalmologist you will need to decide whether it can be managed conservatively with lubricants or whether it requires surgical excision. This has a good success rate. A small graft is placed over the site of the excision. The operation is performed under general anaesthesia and the eye is covered with a patch for a few days.
Treatment – Unless your growth is causing you severe discomfort or distorting your vision, it usually does not require any treatment. You can also manage it with home remedies and over-the-counter medication. If it is causing vision problems visit your ophthalmologist.
Medication – Your eye doctor may prescribe eye drops or eye ointments. These contain mild steroids that reduce the inflammation in your eyes. Smaller growths can be treated with artificial tears that lubricate the eyes.
Surgery – . If the medication you have been using does not provide relief, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the growth. The main indications for removal are persistent irritation, cosmesis, distortion of the surface of the eye with loss of clarity, progressive growth over the surface of the eye and a doubtful diagnosis.
Removal of a pterygium involves your surgeon carefully peeling away the abnormal tissue from the cornea and sclera. They will then place a tissue graft over the removal site. You will be under general anesthetic during the procedure.
It is a standard procedure that typically takes around 30-45 minutes. After the surgery, your ophthalmologist may prescribe eye drops. You will need to wear an eye patch for a few days after your surgery.
Pterygium Surgeon in Durban
Should you, or someone you know experience any vision problems, set up an appointment with Dr. Ladner today. He is a specialist ophthalmologist operating in the Berea, Durban and Kloof areas of KZN.