In many cases, the patient complains of cataracts, but the examination reveals that the patient’s vision is good and that the patient has a pterygium.
A pterygium is a degenerative thickening of the conjunctiva that causes abnormal growth and gradually grows to the cornea, resembling a feather, hence the name pterygium, and occurs mostly on the nasal side of the eye, but may occur on both the nasal and temporal sides. It is not difficult to distinguish between the two as long as the site of onset and performance are clear.