Surgical treatment of pterygium

Abstract

Pterygium is one of the modern problems of ophthalmology. The exact etiology and pathogenesis of this disease has not been reliably established and, as a result, there is no universal method for its recurrence-free treatment. The literature data on various methods of pterygium surgical treatment such as 'bare sclera', conjunctival autograft, limbal stem cells transplantation techniques, amniotic membrane plasty and other methods was analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of those surgery methods were identified. With consideration of the new data on proliferative nature of the disease, the results of adjuvant treatment of pterygium using cytostatics and anti-VEGF drugs were examined. Introduction of new technologies for the treatment of pterygium in practical health care can significantly improve the effectiveness of surgeries, reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and the number of relapses of the disease.