Restore bright and healthy eyes with pterygium & pinguecula treatment in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay or Wellington

This safe and effective treatment can soothe irritation and remove these potentially sight-threatening growths

Restore bright and healthy eyes with pterygium & pinguecula treatment in Auckland or Hawke’s Bay

This safe and effective treatment can soothe irritation and remove these potentially sight-threatening growths

Soothe red and irritable eyes with our straightforward treatments

Discover how medication and surgery can free you from this unsightly and uncomfortable condition

Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment suitability criteria

Your suitability for pterygium and pinguecula treatment will depend on your condition’s severity. We will establish at your initial appointment.

How the Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment works

Eye drops

You can treat the irritation and redness caused by a pterygium or pinguecula with simple eye drops, such as Systane Plus or Blink lubricants.

If you suffer from inflammation, a course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drops (e.g. Acular, Voltaren Ophtha) may help.

Steroid eye drops can also be used in some cases, but only under the close supervision of your ophthalmologist, as they may have side effects.

Surgery

In more serious cases, we recommend surgery to remove your pterygium.

The surgery takes just 30 to 40 minutes and is performed under local anaesthetic.

Your surgeon will carefully remove the pterygium from your eye, and cover the area with a small graft of your own healthy conjunctiva. You won’t feel any pain or discomfort during surgery, though your eye will feel scratchy for a few days afterwards, and will be red for a couple of weeks. You’ll need to use eye drops for about a month, and any stitches used will dissolve naturally. Natural tissue glue is often used now instead of stitches to aid healing and comfort. You can discuss this with your surgeon.

A pinguecula will not grow across your cornea in the same way that a pterygium can. Therefore, we seldom use surgery to remove a pinguecula. However, suppose the pinguecula becomes a pterygium, or grows very large and does not respond to eye drops. In that case, a simple surgical procedure can be used to remove it.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment

Advantages

Improved appearance of the eye.
Better lubrication of the ocular surface if the pterygium or pinguecula stops tears from spreading across the cornea adequately.

Disadvantages

Possibility of pterygium growing back.

Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment risks

Risks include:

Recurrence of pterygium
Corneal scarring where the pterygium was removed
Infection or inflammation during healing

Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment options and alternatives

Treatment options

Eye drops
Surgery

Preventing a pterygium or pinguecula

As with most conditions, prevention is better than cure. You can help prevent pterygium and pinguecula from developing by wearing sunglasses and a hat outdoors. People who spend a lot of time on water or snow should be especially careful to protect their eyes from ultraviolet (UV) light. Protecting your eyes against UV light can also limit the progression of growths after being diagnosed.

Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment steps

We perform pterygium surgery in our theatre.

Your surgeon will carefully remove the pterygium from your eye and cover the area with a small graft of your own healthy conjunctiva.

Pterygium & Pinguecula Treatment results

The surgery results are fantastic. Our experienced oculoplastic surgeon will remove the pterygium or pinguecula. This will relieve you of any discomfort and give you a cosmetically pleasing result.

Gain relief from a worrying eye condition

We understand that any issue with your eyes can be a weight on your shoulders. Book an appointment today, and we’ll help you get to the bottom of your issue and put your mind at ease.

Book an appointment

Gain relief from a worrying eye condition

We understand that any issue with your eyes can be a weight on your shoulders. Book an appointment today, and we’ll help you get to the bottom of your issue and put your mind at ease.

Book an appointment

Gain visual freedom in 3 easy steps

Eye treatment options can be confusing. We’ve made the journey as straightforward as can be

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Get in touch

The first step is to call us so we can answer any questions we can on the phone. Give our friendly team a call on 0800 99 2020 or request a call back from us.

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We’ll meet

At your consultation, we’ll diagnose your issues, answer your questions and give you a clear recommendation based on your needs. You’ll confidently leave with a clear understanding of your treatment options.

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Enjoy clarity

After treatment, people often tell us how pleased they were that they took action when they did. They’re often so glad that they reached out so that we could address their concerns and help them resolve their troublesome eye condition.

We are proud to be associated with top quality private medical insurers

Give us a call to understand how your insurance can help cover your treatment

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What to expect with pterygium surgery

Pterygium surgery is a procedure performed to remove noncancerous conjunctiva growths (pterygia) from the eye.

The conjunctiva is the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelids. Some cases of a pterygium produce little to no symptoms. Severe overgrowth of conjunctiva tissue can cover the cornea and interfere with your vision.

Click here to read more.

Pinguecula and pterygium (surfer's eye) treatment

In many cases pinguecula and pterygium do not need to be treated. However, if your eyes are uncomfortable or your vision is affected, you may need treatment. Click here to read more.

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