PTERYGIUM SURGERY
Treatments with laser. The word laser comes from the English acronym for Light
Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The advantage of laser is that it is a very effective means of transporting energy to a specific point. Thanks to the fact that many of the eye’s structures are transparent for visible light, the laser becomes an excellent tool for the ophthalmologist.
Pterygium consists in an abnormal tissue growth on the cornea (the anterior transparent surface of the eye). This anomalous tissue becomes easily inflamed when exposed to the sun, wind or other irritants. A patient who suffers from this condition has the feeling that there is a foreign body in the eye and the eye has a congestive appearance (red eye). For a pterygium to appear, two conditions are necessary : firstly, that the individual is genetically susceptible to the disease and secondly that they have been exposed to solar radiation.For this reason, pterygium occurs much more frequently in Tropical areas where solar radiation is higher than at other latitudes.
The easiest way to prevent pterygium is with the sun protection that glasses with an ultraviolet filter can provide us, as well as using a cap or hat from childhood onwards. In an equatorial medium the intensity of solar radiation is more intense between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. That is why it is recommended to protect oneself from the sun’s rays if at all possible between these hours.
There is no medical treatment, local or general, which can make the aforementioned tissue disappear. When pterygium causes the patient discomfort or the size increases, thus invading the cornea, it is necessary to resort to surgery.
There are diverse surgical techniques with which to treat pterygium. The technique which we use consists in the following : after applying anesthetic eye drops, we place the patient under an ophthalmic microscope in the operating room. We proceed to extirpate the pterygium, and afterwards, using a micro-mill , we carry out a cleaning-up of the area. Immediately after, we graft a small fragment of normal conjunctiva from the upper hidden part and which is protected by the upper eyelid of the same (an area which is not visible). We then suture it in the area where the protrusion was removed, using special stitches which are very fine. After surgery, a patch is placed on the eye, which after a few days can be removed. The eye will be red and will take some weeks to recover. The patient must take the medication prescribed and use dark glasses for a time.
There exists the possibility that the pterygium reappears in approximately 30% of cases. This could be more aggressive if the operation has not been carried out well. When the pterygium does not invade the visual axis, the surgical possibilities of immediate success are very high (over 90%).