Pterygia are the noncancerous conjunctival growths, which is the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye. Few cases of a pterygium produce a little to no symptoms. In case of severe growth of the conjunctiva tissue can cover the cornea and interfere with your vision.
Patients have complaints of redness, itching, and pricking sensation in eye .If it covers the cornea then it will lead to development of the astigmatism.
Pterygium surgery is the process to remove this noncancerous conjunctiva growths from the eye.
This is a very minimal invasive surgery and it does not take more than 30 to 45 minutes. Also, if in case, an individual is wearing contact lenses in routine, they are asked to not wear them for at least 24 hours before the procedure.
There are several methods of the surgical removal: The bare sclera method, Conjuctival autograft method with sutures and the latest one is the autograft with Glue application.
A Pterygium can also grow back after it has been removed and such a recurrent pterygium grows more rapidly than the initial pterygium. With latest Glue application technique, there are lowest chances of recurrence.
After the surgery, an eye patch or pad is applied for the comfort and to prevent infection. It is very important not to rub the eyes after the procedure to avoid dislodging the attached tissue.
Usual recovery time ranges from couple of weeks for the eye to completely heal, without the signs of redness or discomfort. However, it also depends on the type of technique used during surgery.