Though it’s named for a specific type of athlete, this common complaint can impact anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors.
The main symptom of web surfer’s eye, or pterygium (pronounced tur-IJ-ee-um), is a development of pink, fleshy tissue on the conjunctiva, the clear tissue that lines your eyelids and covers your eyeball. It generally forms on the side closest to your nose and grows toward the pupil area.
It can look frightening, however it isn’t really cancer. The growth might spread out gradually during your life or stop after a particular point. In severe cases, it can cover your pupil and cause vision issues.
The growth might appear in one eye or both. When it affects both, it’s known as a bilateral pterygium.
Though it isn’t really typically a major condition, it can cause annoying symptoms. You might seem like you having something in your eye. Or it might get red and irritated and require medical or surgical treatment.
Pterygium Symptoms
In some cases, there are none– it simply appears.
When there are symptoms, your eye might:
- Burn
- Feel gritty
- Itch
- Seem like you have something in it
- Look red
If the development gets onto your cornea (the pupil area of your eye), it might alter its shape and cause blurred vision.
Prior to it appears, you might discover an associated condition called a pinguecula (pin-GWEK-yoo-la). This is a yellow-colored spot or bump on the conjunctiva and can get red if inflamed.
Pterygium Causes
The things that make you probably to get it consist of:
- Great deals of direct exposure to ultraviolet light (like from the sun).
- Dry eyes.
- Irritants like dust and wind.
You’re more than likely to get it if you live near the equator and you’re a man between 20 and 40. But it can impact anybody who resides in a sunny place.
You get a pinguecula the same method– great deals of time in the sun without eye defense such as sunglasses. It can stop the production of fluid on the exterior of your eye, so it may feel dry or like you have something stuck in it. It might become red.
How Is Pterygium Treated?
See an optometrist if you have any symptoms. She can diagnose the condition by looking at the front part of your eye with a special microscopic lense called a slit lamp.
You most likely won’t require treatment if your symptoms are mild. If the condition causes temporary redness or irritation, your doctor will treat it with:
- Non-prescription eye ointments or wetting drops.
- Eyedrops that clean up redness and irritation.
- Prescription steroid eyedrops to reduce soreness, itching, swelling, and pain.
Will I Need Surgery?
If the development causes pain or interferes with your vision, your doctor can remove it during an outpatient procedure.
Like any surgery, there might be complications. These consist of:
- Return of a more aggressive growth.
- Scars or cuts on your cornea.
- Blurry vision from an uneven cornea, called astigmatism.
The majority of the time, doctors only recommend surgery if:
- Other treatments have failed.
- Your eyesight is at risk.
- The appearance of it bothers you.
A typical surgery uses your tissue from your conjunctiva or a placenta to fill the empty space after the sore is gone. The growth is eliminated and the filler is glued or sewn onto the affected area.
The procedure normally takes 30 to 45 minutes. You’ll most likely wear an eye patch for a day or more. You can return to work or normal activities in a few days.
You make take steroid eyedrops for a number of weeks or months. They’ll relieve inflammation and make it less most likely for a brand-new lesion to form. It may seem nasty to graft tissue into your eye, but it lowers the possibilities that a development will return.
If you do have the operation, pay cautious attention to your eye for the next year. A lot of developments that return will return within the first 12 months after surgery. After surgery it is sensible to always use wraparound frame sunglasses outdoors.
Can You Prevent Surfer’s Eye?
Yes. Wear sunglasses every day. That includes overcast days– clouds do not stop ultraviolet (UV) light. Choose tones that block 99% -100% of both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.
Wraparound styles provide the best guard versus ultraviolet light, dust, and wind. Wear them when you’re in the car, too. Unlike the windshield, your car’s side windows do not safeguard you from UV rays. You can likewise apply a protective movie to your side windows to assist.
Experts state to choose a hat with a brim to protect your eyes from UV light. And use synthetic tears to keep your eyes moist in dry environments.
