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We all know how important it is to keep your eyes healthy. After all, if the recent solar eclipse taught us anything, it’s that you can do permanent damage to your eyes in a moment without really thinking about it. And there are so many different things that can damage your eyes that you might not even know of. For instance, let’s look at Pterygium.
A pterygium is a growth that can expand into your cornea, causing blurry vision. And while the common name for it, surfer’s eye, implies that it’s something that only affects people who do a lot of surfing, the truth is that anyone can get it. So, what is pterygium? What are the symptoms? And what can you do to treat it?
What Is Pterygium?
Essentially, a pterygium is a growth in the soft, pink tissue around the eye. Over time, this growth can expand. And eventually, it can expand into the eye itself, covering the cornea. The typical pattern is for the growth to start in the corner of the eye and move towards the center. And usually, the growth is limited to one eye, but in rare cases, you may have them in both.
In addition, you may sometimes develop another, related condition first called a pinguecula. A pinguecula is small, yellowish patch of raised tissue in the eye that can expand and sometimes leads to the development of pterygium.
We think that the cause of this growth lies in the environment. Having chronically dry eyes, as you might if you live in a hot, dry place, makes you more likely to develop these kinds of growths. In addition, long-term exposure to high levels of UV light from the sun seems to contribute. This might explain why surfers, who spend a lot of time on the water in areas that get a lot of sunlight, seem to develop the growths so often.
Finally, chronic irritation of the eyes from dust or wind can lead to the development of these kinds of growths.
What Are The Symptoms?
In most cases, these sorts of growths in the eye are painless. And they might not cause any noticeable symptoms aside from the obvious presence of the growth.
But sometimes, the eye might feel itchy or irritated. And you may sometimes feel a burning sensation. And because the growth can continue to grow until it reaches the cornea, it can cause blurry vision and if it progresses far enough, may make it difficult to see at all.
A doctor can diagnose the condition with a simple visual examination of the eye. If you notice a growth in your eye or experience these symptoms, you may want to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor so they can give you a diagnosis.
How Can You Treat It?
Not every case requires treatment, especially if it doesn’t seem to be growing and isn’t causing any symptoms. But there are a few ways to treat the condition.
To handle the symptoms like burning or irritated eyes, the doctor can prescribe eye drops that will help reduce inflammation and soothe the irritation.
And if the growth grows into the cornea, where it begins to interfere with your vision, the doctor may wish to schedule a surgical removal. This procedure is usually quite simple and can be done in an outpatient procedure. The doctor will physically remove the growth and replace the missing tissue with tissue from the conjunctiva around your eye or even from a donor human placenta.
But it does carry some risks such as scars or cuts on the cornea, which can lead to permanently blurry vision. As with any surgery, it’s best to discuss and weigh your risks with a doctor.
The best thing to do is to take the appropriate precautions to protect your eyes whenever you go outside. Make sure to wear sunglasses with a high UV rating to keep the light from the sun and irritants on the wind from damaging your eyes. This is a more serious concern in places close to the equator, which naturally have higher levels of UV light.
You should also wear a hat to further shield your eyes. And finally, you can use over-the-counter eyedrops to keep your eyes moist and less vulnerable to irritation.
So, let us know, have you had pterygium? What did you do to treat it? Or are you concerned about developing the condition? Do you have advice for protecting your eyes from the elements? Tell us in the comments.
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