Pterygium is a benign hyperplasia of the conjunctiva, which extends and covers the cornea usually by nasal side.

Pterygium is a benign hyperplasia of the conjunctiva, which extends and covers the cornea usually by nasal side.

Sun exposure (ultraviolet radiation), dust and dry atmosphere seem to be those factors which predispose pterygium formation.

Symptoms include redness, sense of foreign body and itching, whereas the expansion can affect vision either by directly covering the optical axis, or by deformation of the cornea causing astigmatism.

Pterygiums do not subside with drugs, and if they cause problems they must be excluded surgically.  The pterygium exclusion surgery takes a few minutes and is performed under local anesthesia. Recently established techniques include paste (with glue without stitches) of the amniotic membrane to restore the deficit conjunctival obtained after removal of the pterygium, and administering agents such as mitomycin-C, which significantly reduce the likelihood of relapse.