Prevalence and types of pterygium in a tertiary hospital in Puducherry – A descriptive cross sectional study

Introduction: A pterygium is a triangular fibrovascular subepithelial growth of bulbar conjunctival tissue that has invaded the superficial cornea, causing visual impairment. It is a degenerative condition. Objectives: To study the prevalence and types of pterygium in patients in a tertiary hospital in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was done for a period of 6 months, in the out patient department of ophthalmology. Out of the 6028 patients who had registered, the clinical records of 345 patients with pterygium were retrieved and analysed using MS office Excel sheet. Results: The results depict that females (59%) were more affected than the males (41%) and nasal pterygium was more common than the temporal pterygium. It was also found that unilateral pterygium (81%) is more common than bilateral pterygium (15%) and progressive pterygium (67%) is more common than atrophic or recurrent types. Analysis also revealed that type I pterygium (51%) is more common. Conclusion: The prevalence of pterygium increased with increasing age and long term exposure to sunlight. It can be decreased by using protective measures.