Purpose To examine pterygium and normal conjunctiva tissue for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and to determine the genotypes of HPV. Methods METHODS: The study involved 89 patients undergoing surgical procedures at the I Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group I with pterygium (n = 58; 51 primary, 7 recurrences) and group II with with normal conjunctiva (n=31). The material was collected during elective surgical procedures. Specimens were tested for the presence of HPV genome using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Once the presence of HPV DNA was confirmed, 28 HPV genotypes were determined using reverse hybridisation. Results In group I, HPV DNA was identified in 16 patients (27.6%) whereas in group II ‐ in 3 cases (9.7%). Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference in the presence of HPV genome in pterygium patients compared to those with no clinical lesions of the conjunctiva (p=0.041). HPV type 16 was most frequently observed in 56% of HPV positive cases of pterygium. In 19% of cases, HPV 16 and HPV 6 co‐infections were found while in 13% ‐ HPV 18 and HPV 6 co‐infections were detected. Amongst 7 cases of recurrent pterygium, HPV 16 was detected in 2 cases. In group II, all 3 patients with HPV showed HPV 18. Conclusion In Poland, no studies concerning the presence of HPV in ocular lesions have been carried out. The group examined in our study is one of the largest populations of patients with pterygium studied for the presence of the HPV genome worldwide. Our findings show that HPV is likely to play a synergistic role in the multi‐stage process of the development of pterygium, although it is not necessary to induce this condition.