What is a pterygium?
A pterygium (pronounced tur-IJ-ee-um) is a wing-shaped fleshy overgrowth on the surface of your eye. This can eventually extend onto the surface of your cornea, which is the clear front window of your eye. Pterygia are believed to be caused by dry eye and environmental elements such as wind, dust and ultraviolet light. In most cases, a pterygium grows from the inner corner of the eye closest to your nose, although it can also grow from the outer corner as well. It can affect one or both eyes.
Along with being unsightly, pterygiums can cause irritation and dryness. They can interfere with vision by distorting the cornea - causing vision to be out of focus. This can interfere with achieving a good result after cataract or lens surgery. A pterygium can also grow across the line of sight and leave permanent scarring.
Eye drops and ointments can help with symptomatic relief. The definitive solution is surgical.
Pterygium surgery is a day procedure. The eye is made numb by an anaesthetist who will give you medication to ensure you are relaxed. The procedure takes about 30-45 minutes where the pterygium is carefully peeled off. This leaves a raw area on the white part of the eye which is covered by stitching in place a conjunctival graft (similar to a thin clear membrane) from the covering of the white part of the eye, generally from under the upper eyelid. The pterygium is removed and sent to the pathology laboratory (to check there is no pre-cancerous tissue).
As with any surgical procedures there are risks. However, with modern surgical techniques these risks are less than 1%. These risks include infection, recurrence of the pteryium, and scarring. Rarely, you may have double vision which usually settles, and an extremely rare complication is for the eye to be damaged leading to visual loss.
Your eye will be covered with a protective eye pad which can be removed the next morning. After the surgery you will be given anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops to use. The eye will be quite uncomfortable for the first few days so plan at least five days off work. It tends to be a little gritty and sore in the first few days after surgery but you will be given some pain relief to take home and any discomfort should soon settle. It may look red for a few weeks.
Download the Frequently Asked Questions After Surgery Guide
Further reading
There's lots of information available out there about pterygium surgery. We've made it easier for you by collating it into our own info sheets for download.
Download the info sheet: Pterygium, pinguecula and conjunctival lesions (PDF 70kb)
Download the info sheet: Following pterygium and conjunctival lesion surgery (PDF 187kb)
Appointments
To make a booking for a consultation or procedure, contact us.
Please have on hand your:
- Medicare card number
- Health fund details (if applicable)
- DVA/Pension/health care card details (if applicable)
- Current referral letter
How much does pterygium surgery cost?
Insight Eye Surgery provides a full and open estimate of surgery fees before any procedure. There are numerous treatment options for people without health insurance.