Correlation between pterygium and dry eye

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between dry eye and pterygium. Materials and Methods: A total of 50 patients, aged between 26 and 70 years, were included in this study. Tear film breakup time (TF-BUT) and Schirmer's test (ST) results were compared in pterygium eye and contralateral normal eye of the same patient. TF-BUT and ST results were compared in pterygium eye and contralateral normal eye for different sizes. The paired t-test was used for the analysis. The Pearson correlation was used to assess the correlations of tear BUT and ST with pterygium size. Results: The mean horizontal size of pterygium ± standard deviation (SD) was 2.35 ± 0.54 mm. The mean ± SD of TF-BUT in pterygium eyes was 7.1 ± 2.34 s compared with 9.18 ± 3.21 s in contralateral normal eyes (P < 0.05). The mean ± SDs of ST results in pterygium eyes and the opposite normal eyes were 8.96 ± 2.66 and 10.94 ± 3.88 mm, respectively (P < 0.05). On analysis, the overall difference in the mean TF-BUT between the pterygium eyes, and the contralateral control eyes was significant (P < 0.01). The difference in the ST between the pterygium eyes and the contralateral eyes was not significant for size < 1 (P = 0.17) and 1-2 (P = 0.4) but was highly significant for size <2 mm (P < 0.001). Most patients with pterygium complained of mild-to-severe ocular discomfort. Ocular Surface Disease Index score was found to be 30.6. Conclusion: Results of the present study strongly suggest that pterygium induce abnormal ocular surface conditions, which lead to dysfunctional TF and development of the dry eye.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-SA

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