Surgery Methods for a Pterygium

A pterygium is an overgrowth of the conjunctiva of the eye. It is not cancerous, and is diagnosed by observing an area of painless tissue growth with blood vessels over the eye. If vision is obstructed, then surgery can be performed to remove the pterygium.

Bare Sclera Technique

• Ophthalmological surgeons can cut away the pterygium growth, leaving the sclera (white part of the eye) exposed. However, regrowth of the pterygium is common after this type of operation.

Conjunctival Autograft

• Most surgeons use conjunctival autograft technique to remove the pterygium. This involves cutting away the pterygium tissue and filling the gap in the conjunctiva with healthy conjunctival tissue removed from under the eyelid. The graft is held in place with tiny stitches. The eye graft acts like a skin graft and reduces the risk of regrowth of the pterygium.

No-Stitch Autograft

• Another autograft technique, similar to the stitch autograft, uses tissue adhesive instead of stitches to hold the graft in place. The stitch adhesive is made of human blood-clotting proteins.