Pterygium or Surfers Eye

Another way of treating pterygium is by the bare sclera technique. In simple terms, it is a traditional procedure where the surgeon removes the pterygium tissue and does not replace it with a new tissue graft.

In comparison with pterygium surgery, the only point of difference is that the bare sclera technique leaves the white of the eye exposed to heal and recover on its own. However, on the other hand, this technique eliminates the risk of fibrin glue but increases the risk of pterygium regrowth.

In the medical sector, there are risks in every surgical procedure. In a pterygium surgery, it is normal to experience some redness and discomfort with some blurriness during the recovery period. However, if the patient begins to develop difficulties in vision, pterygium regrowth, or total vision loss, schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist at the earliest.

After the pterygium is successfully removed, the concerned surgeon will either use fibrin or sutures to optimally secure the conjunctiva tissue graft in its proper place. Both these techniques and options are used to reduce the possibility of pterygium regrowth. Now, let’s address the point of differences between both.

In surgical processes, using dissolvable sutures is often considered a benchmark practice. However, there is a high chance that it can cause more discomfort in the post-surgery or recovery time, with stretches the healing process for several days.

Alternatively, in the case of fibrin, glues drastically reduce discomfort and inflammation while reducing the recovery time by less than half in comparison with sutures. But it is imperative to keep in mind that since this glue is a blood-derived medical product, it carries the risk of transmitting diseases and viral infection. In addition, using fibrin glue can prove to be a more expensive option.

By the end of the surgical process, the surgeon will apply an eye pad or patch to prevent the breakout of any infection while ensuring that the patient gets optimum comfort in the recovery period. The patient will be advised to not touch or rub their eyes after the surgery to avoid the dislocation of the newly attached tissue.

Secondly, the patient will be given a list of aftercare instructions like antibiotics, cleaning procedures and scheduling regular follow up visits. After pterygium surgery, the normal bracket of the recovery time is between a couple of weeks to one or two months.

Within this period, the operated eye gets enough time to heal without any signs of discomfort and redness. However, this heavily depends on the type of technique or treatment that is used during the pterygium surgery.