Pterygium Excision & Graft

OPERATION INFORMATION SHEET

Preoperative

Eat light normal meals and wear light comfortable clothes.
Make sure you have an ice pack & some analgesics ready at home.

Procedure

Eyedrops and Panadeine Forte have been ordered and will be waiting at the hospital. To reduce postoperative pain ,two Panadeine Forte tablets are taken 15 minutes prior to the operation .
Topical anesthetic drops will be applied to your eye and these sting just a little as they numb the eye.

Once in the operating theatre you will be placed on the operating table under the microscope and your eye will be washed with antiseptic solution. Sterile towels are placed over your forehead but your nose and mouth are uncovered so you can breath easily. You are prevented from blinking and your eye held wide open by a speculum -this will feel strange but should cause little if any discomfort. After more anesthetic is applied the pterygium is removed. You may be more bothered by the light of the microscope than by the slight grating noise as I remove the pterygium. Once the pterygium is removed and the surface smoothed the patch graft is obtained while you look down towards your feet. The very fine suture that is used to secure the graft may tangle on your eyelashes and tickle a little. On completion of the operation several drops of antibiotic and then a firm pad are placed on your eye.

Gentle pressure applied by the palm of your hand to the eyepad will help to reduce surface bruising so the eye will look better the next day. The more this pressure is maintained over the next few hours the better and holding the eyelid still helps keep the eye comfortable.

PostOperative Treatment

As soon as the eye begins to become uncomfortable remove the eye pad apply both eyedrops and then place the ice pack over your closed eyelid. You will almost certainly prefer to keep the other eye closed to prevent movement. If the pain is severe then take more Panadeine Forte but beware as strong analgesics may make you nauseated so you may prefer simple analgesics such as Panadol. You may use the eyedrops as often as 2 hourly as they may help lubricate and soothe the eye. Alternate between an eye pad and the ice pack as required.

Note

• It is easier to prevent pain by treating early rather than trying to control established pain.
• Patients usually describe pain on the second day as about 25% of the first night and then usually describe only slight irritation and glare sensitivity. The eye will be red for about a month and during this time you need to continue drops to prevent infection and prevent recurrence.