A pterygium is a growth on the front of the eye related to sun damage. The pterygium is  often red and unsightly. They can cause irritation. With time, a pterygium can grow and affect vision. The pterygium is often removed for these reasons. Rarely, they can become cancerous

 

At Mona Vale Eye Centre, we remove the pterygium under local anaesthetic in an operating theatre under local anaesthetic. To minimize recurrence, we perform a conjunctival graft to cover the bare area left behind by the pterygium.  We are using a sutureless technique (fibrin glue to adhere the graft to the scleral bed) which causes less inflammation, irritation, and promotes faster recovery. Cosmetically the sutureless technique results are better. The procedure takes about half an hour and patients are discharged home not long afterwards. Eye drops are used for at least one month after surgery.