What Is a Pterygium? And When Is Surgery Necessary?

There is a thin membrane inside the upper and lower eyelids that helps keep the eyes lubricated while preventing particles from entering.

Problems in this area of your eye can make it easier for bacteria and other microscopic particles to get in and obscure your vision. Pterygium is an issue that develops in this part of the eye. It is often harmless and mild, but sometimes it can become a threat to your vision.  

Let’s get the facts about pterygium, find out why it happens, and when treatments like surgery may be necessary. 

Drs. Hena Khaja and Soha Rafi, along with our experienced medical staff at Texas Eye Doctors, help the residents of McKinney, Texas, with many eye problems, including pterygium treatment.

Understanding pterygium

Pterygium is a fleshy triangular growth also known as surfer’s eye. It forms in the corner of your eye over your cornea, where light enters. It can be whitish or pinkish in appearance. 

It’s referred to as surfer’s eye because it happens frequently with surfers. However, anyone can develop this condition.

The growth isn’t cancerous or invasive and won’t spread to other areas of the eye. In some cases, it may not present with symptoms, but in others, it can grow enough to obscure part of your vision.

Causes and symptoms

The reasons this condition occurs aren’t fully understood, but research indicates overexposure to UV rays can stimulate it, and it happens more frequently in warm or windy climates. The chances are higher if you spend more time outside.

Exposure to pollen, smoke, wind, and sand, as well as certain weather conditions, also increases the risk of pterygium. 

Symptoms don’t always happen, but when they do, mild signs like eye irritation, redness, and blurriness are common. A burning or itching sensation can occur, along with interference with vision if it grows over your cornea.

Reasons for surgery

When the pterygium grows enough to be visible or obstruct how well you see, you’ll need to see a doctor. 

We perform a minimally invasive procedure that takes less than an hour. 

To do this, we sedate you, numb the affected eye, and clean where the tissue is to be removed. Then, the pterygium and some connected conjunctiva tissue are removed, and sutures or fibrin glue seal the area.

Pterygium isn’t always a problem, but when you need help to remove it, make an appointment with Drs. Khaja, Rafi, and our Texas Eye Doctors team to relieve symptoms and restore your vision.