Changes of tear film function after pterygium operation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes of tear film function in patients with pterygium after pterygium excision combined with limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation.

METHODS: Sixty eyes of 60 patients were entered in the study. The Schirmer test, tear breakup time (BUT) and mucus fern test (MFT) were evaluated in the patients before and after pterygium excision combined with limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation.

RESULTS: Compared with the opposite healthy eyes, the BUT and MFT in the eyes with pterygium were significantly different before the operation (p < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in the results of the Schirmer test (p > 0.05). The results of the BUT and MFT in the eyes with pterygium were significantly different before and 4 weeks after the operation (p < 0.05). The BUT was prolonged from 9.89 ± 3.95 to 12.78 ± 4.12 s, and the ratio of normal crystallization in the MFT increased from 46.7 to 80.0%. There was no significant difference in the Schirmer test results before and after the operation (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Tear functions were abnormal in the eyes with pterygium. Pterygium excision combined with limbal-conjunctival autograft transplantation can partially restore the tear film function into normal state, and the tear film function was stable 4 weeks after surgery.