Pterygium Surgery - What happens on the day of your procedure?

An explanation by Dr. Aleksic’s treatment centre optometrist, Rianda.
Dr. Zoran Aleksic FCS (SA) Ophth, is an eye surgeon and Ophthalmologist specialising in cataract and laser refractive surgery (Lasik / PRK laser refractive surgery for short sightedness, far sightedness and astigmatism). Dr. Aleksic’s treatment centre is located in Sea Point in Cape Town.
Dr. Zoran Aleksic and his team have long been recognised both in South Africa and the rest of the continent for providing high quality eye care with a full spectrum of treatments, from prescribing glasses and contact lenses to complex and delicate eye surgery using the latest technological equipment, all in a relaxed and professional environment.
Visit our website: www.eyesurgery.co.za
Transcript:
What happens on the day?
I'm going to talk to you about pterygium. This is when you look into the mirror and you see on the white part of your eye there's almost a red and inflamed growth leading towards the
coloured part of your eye. Pterygium is what we call in medical terms a fibro-vascular growth on the white part of the eye.
Why do you get a Pterygium?
It is usually Sun induced. It is an irritation of your tissue on that part of your eye that gets irritated by a high amount of exposure to sunlight. Most of us will have it, especially in a country like South Africa where we have a lot of sunlight. But, when you notice it and it's quite obvious to you in a mirror and it actually bothers you, that is when the pterygium is inflamed. Now, the original pterygium can be inflamed due to maybe a lack of sleep
but maybe you've been in a lot of wind and when you have a glass of wine too
many; when you are on heavy medication like painkillers and you kind of sleep
with your eye open a little bit - that's all reasons for the pterygium to be inflamed. The inflammation can be calmed by using anti-inflammatory drops.
What are the indications that we need to remove that?
If the pterygium can be calmed down just by using an anti-inflammatory drops and by avoiding conditions causing the inflammation or reducing your exposure to sunlight by wearing sunglasses when you're outside.
When we what we want to remove it?
First of all when it bothers you; when you look in the mirror and it's constantly red. If people are constantly asking you why your eyes are so red and inflamed or it's almost a little
bit scratchy. Additionally, if you think it stands up a bit that would be an indication for us
to remove it if really bothers you.
If it really bothers Dr. Aleksic it's also a reason for us to remove. Why will it bother Dr. Aleksic? It will bother him when he looks through the slit lamp, which is like a microscope,
and the tissue around that area looks suspicious and by suspicious I mean we want to make sure that it's not it's not tumor-like. We want to get rid of and send off to a laboratory to
check that that the tissue is actually normal and then we get rid of it.
When it gets to the point that we want to actually go ahead and do surgery:
How we will do it?
It takes place in a normal theatre. You are not going to be under general anaesthetic. So, the morning of the surgery you can have a small meal. We're going to ask you to dress
comfortably in your own clothes. You're not going to change over into the hospital clothes and dress slightly warmer than usual because you don't want you to feel cold in the
theatre your name will on Dr. Aleksic’s theatre list. You will get pre-authorization
from your medical aid so that they can cover for it if we need to motivate why you need to remove it. We can provide you with a motivational letter. We will admit you through to the ward where they will put local aneasthetic drops in your eyes and when it's your turn to go through to theatre you will lie in on the bed with your head in a little round cushion. The doctor will cover the eye that's not being operated on. He will use a small speculum or a
little clamp to keep the eye open so you don't have to worry to keep it open yourself. During the surgery you feel no pain. Doctor uses a local aesthetic spray around the eye area. It numbs the area completely. He needs to remove the growth so he'll do that by using a diamond blade to cut the growth off your eye.
How he does it?
I’m going to explain on my own eye. If you look down some of the tissue that is underneath your lid you take some of that tissue and use it because that tissue has not been exposed to sunlight so it's a good healthy tissue to use. Underneath your lid he will cut that off and stick it onto the place with the tissue glue. He will put an antibiotic drop and anti-inflammatory drop and close the eye. He will put a shield over and then you go back to the ward where they will offer you a cup of coffee or tea and a sandwich and half an hour later when they see that you are fine someone can drive you home.