Blindness Caused by Pterygium – A Case Report

Abstract

Pterygium leading to bilateral blindness and forcing patient to quit job is uncommon. This is a case report of a 46 year old indigent woman who had blinding pterygia over 10 years. She could not afford pterygium excision offered in a private eye clinic where she initially presented after a period of unsuccessful self medication. She was forced out of sewing job consequent to her inability to thread needle, difficulty reading number on the tape rule and difficulty recognising faces of her clients. Six years later, she presented at eye clinic of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria with advanced bilateral pterygia. Having defaulted from clinic over 4 months for lack of fund, the patient, after concession, had successful bilateral pterygia excision using bare sclera technique with Mitomycin C (MMC) dab. There was restoration of the lost vision. Pterygium is a cause of avoidable blindness with consequential impact on quality of life. Eye care providers should identify individual patient challenges to reduce avoidable blindness.

The astigmatic effect of pterygium in a Tertiary Hospital in Kano, Nigeria

“…[ 2 20 ] Evidence has shown that most cases of pterygium result in with the rule astigmatism as shown in our study and other similar studies. [ 7 11 ] Our study demonstrated improvement in visual acuity and reduction in induced astigmatism after pterygium excision. These findings were found to be statistically significant.…”

“…These include the bare sclera, excision with conjunctival autografting or amniotic membrane transplantation and beta irradiation. [ 2 6 7 ] Conservative treatment could be adopted for temporary relief of symptoms such as the use artificial tears or lubricants and topical anti-inflammatory agents. [ 6 ] The effect of pterygium on corneal refractive status may be measured by refraction, keratometry, corneal topography, and computerized video-keratoscopy.…”

Pterygium—The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“…Moreover, the molecular progression of pterygia in untreated patients, covering several years, is unknown and awaited. Only one report includes a bilateral pterygium patient that received medical intervention after 10 years [ 129 ]. Unfortunately, molecular characterization of the biopsy is lacking.…”

Prevalence and Causes of Low Vision and Blindness among Adult Patients Attending Eye Clinic in a Tertiary Hospital in South East, Nigeria

“…It can be unipolar usually nasal or temporal and frequently results in visual disturbance. [28] Visual disturbance occurs when the pterygium indents the cornea or crosses the pupillary axis. In a study in south India, 9.5% of subjects had pterygium which was more common in females and in rural dwellers.…”