What is a pterygium? Pterygium is a common and frequent disease in ophthalmology. It is thought to be a chronic inflammatory lesion of the localized bulbar conjunctival fibrovascular tissue caused by external stimuli, which is triangular in shape and can invade the cornea. It is called pterygium because of its resemblance to an insect’s wing, and in Chinese medicine, it is called “pterygium pancreaticum”. It is one of the most common clinical ophthalmologic diseases and the oldest eye disease. It can not only cause irritation and cosmetic defects, but can also affect vision to varying degrees. What does external irritation mean? As mentioned earlier, external irritation generally refers to prolonged time spent outdoors or irritated by sand and wind, and cooks are also susceptible to frequent exposure to fires and fumes. Can pterygium affect my vision? The pterygium grows on the black eye (cornea) and pulls on it, which can change the curvature of the cornea and may cause astigmatism, which can lead to varying degrees of vision loss. Some of them are accompanied by glare. If the pterygium is allowed to develop, it can obscure the pupil (the small round black area in the black eye) and lead to a significant loss of vision. How is pterygium treated? A pterygium can be observed if it has not yet reached the cornea or is just at the edge of the cornea, but if it has reached the cornea near the pupil area, surgery should be performed promptly. To minimize recurrence after surgery, pterygium excision combined with corneal limbal stem cell transplantation is usually performed by completely removing the corneal limbus, sclera and degenerative tissue on the cornea and exposing the sclera. The stitches are usually removed 10 days after surgery. Post-operative follow-up Usually it is necessary to follow up at least 1-2 times within 1 month after surgery. During this period, avoid sewage into the eyes (unsterilized water, rainwater, etc. should be avoided), spicy food, tobacco and alcohol, etc., sun exposure, wind and sand stimulation, and dry stools. Diet You can eat more foods rich in vitamin A (, such as carrots, amaranth, spinach), vitamin C (such as cucumber, cauliflower, chard, fresh dates, etc.).