1.What is a pterygium? Pterygium is one of the most common eye diseases in ophthalmology. The clinical manifestation of pterygium is the invasion of fibrovascular tissue into the transparent cornea, which is called pterygium because of its shape like an insect’s wing, and is known in Chinese medicine as “pterygium pandorum” or “fish meat”. Pterygium not only affects the aesthetics of the patient, but the invasion of the pterygium into the cornea can produce astigmatism, and if it invades the pupil area, it can block the light entering the eye, thus seriously affecting vision. Pterygium is associated with long-term UV exposure, but the specific pathogenesis is not clear. 2. What is the treatment of pterygium? There are no specific medications that can inhibit the formation of pterygium or prevent its further development. Surgical removal is the only effective treatment for pterygium. The growth of a pterygium into the black eye can affect vision, significantly affect appearance and cause limited eye movement. 3. How many types of surgery are available for pterygium? Simple excision is the most traditional type of pterygium surgery, which is easy to perform and takes a short time, but has a high recurrence rate. Depending on the patient’s condition, there are several other surgical options for pterygium, including pterygium excision combined with autologous conjunctival transplantation, combined allograft conjunctival transplantation, and combined amniotic membrane transplantation, and even combined allograft corneal rim transplantation in rare patients due to the depth of the pterygium lesion. Pterygium excision combined with autologous conjunctival transplantation is the most common procedure used internationally. This procedure removes the pterygium tissue and then takes the autologous conjunctiva from the upper or lower part of the eye to cover the resected area, which can effectively reduce the postoperative recurrence rate. The removed area, on the other hand, can repair itself without treatment. 4.What are the complications after pterygium surgery? (1) Recurrence after pterygium surgery: Pterygium surgery has the possibility of recurrence no matter which surgical method is used. The recurrence rate is 20-30% after simple excision and 5-8% after pterygium excision plus autologous conjunctival transplantation. (2) Granuloma formation after pterygium surgery: Since the recovery period after surgery is usually about 3 months, the surgical site will still be congested within 3 months, which means that the eyes will be red, and this is a normal reaction. (3) Post-operative bleeding of pterygium: A small amount of bleeding, i.e., the patient will find blood in the mucus of the eye, which does not need to be treated. If the patient bleeds outward from the corner of the eye after surgery, he/she needs to come to the hospital for emergency treatment to stop the bleeding. (4) Postoperative corneal opacity residue after pterygium surgery: Because some patients delay the best time for surgery, the pterygium causes corneal degeneration, so that the corneal degeneration area is retained after surgery, forming a corneal opacity residue. 5.What should I pay attention to before and after pterygium surgery? Pterygium surgery focuses on removing the pterygium from the surface of the eye and does not enter the eye, so the surgery is relatively safe. Patients can practice eye movements before surgery to facilitate the rotation of the eye as requested by the surgeon during surgery and to reduce the surgery time. The surgery is performed with absorbable sutures, and there is usually no need to remove the sutures after the surgery. You should routinely visit the hospital on the first day after surgery to change the medication and start using eye drops after the change. The nerve endings on the corneal surface are exposed after pterygium removal, so there will be eye pain, tearing, and photophobia for 2-3 days after surgery. However, as the corneal surface heals, the symptoms will be significantly reduced, which is a normal postoperative reaction. After surgery, you should pay attention to eye hygiene, avoid splashing into sewage and dust to prevent infection. Do not rub or squeeze your eyes with your hands to avoid affecting the healing of the conjunctival implants. The duration of postoperative medication varies from person to person, about 1~3 months. Regular follow-up visits to the hospital during the medication period are required to observe the postoperative recovery, adjust the number of medications and decide the time to stop medication. Good postoperative follow-up and medication can reduce recurrence and promote the decompensation of congestion. Postoperative diet: special contraindications for dietary items, avoid spicy and stimulating food, avoid smoking and alcohol.