[Impact of pterygium size on corneal topography and visual acuity - a prospective clinical cross-sectional study].

PURPOSE

Pterygia may cause topographic changes featuring increase of astigmatism. The purpose of this study was to quantify the impact of the head-limbus-distance (=height) and limbal base length of the pterygium on the anterior corneal curvature and visual acuity before excision.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In 52 eyes (19 female, 33 male) with a mean age of 53 +/- 14 years the pterygium size (height, base length, area) was quantified using projected preoperative clinical slides and was correlated with visual acuity, refractive, keratometric, topographic astigmatism and Surface Regularity Index (SRI), Surface Asymmetry Index (SAI) of the TMS-1 videokeratoscope.

RESULTS

The mean height of the pterygium was 3.1 +/- 1.4 (0.8 to 6.7) mm, the mean base length was 5.1 +/- 1.4 (2.9 to 7.8) mm, the estimated mean area was 11.4 +/- 6.9 (2.1 to 29.4) mm(2). The increasing pterygium height and area resulted in a highly significant elevation of the preoperative SRI and SAI values (p </= 0.01). The amount of keratometric (p=0.02) and topographic astigmatism (p=0.001) correlated significantly with height and area of the pterygium. In addition, pterygium size correlated significantly with the differences of zonal corneal power between steepest and flattest hemimeridian in the 3-mm zone or 5-mm zone, respectively (p </= 0.01). Best-corrected visual acuity and height/area of the pterygium correlated significantly inversely (p=0.001). Visual acuity seemed to be mostly unaffected up to a height of 2.5 mm. Overall, the impact of the base length was much less striking. Topographic astigmatism (3.3 +/- 2.8 D) was significantly larger than keratometric astigmatism (2.1 +/- 2.1 D) (p=0.001). The larger the pterygium, the larger was the difference between keratometric astigmatism and subjectively tolerated spectacle cylinder (p </= 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing distance of the pterygium head from the limbus results in increased amount and irregularity of preoperatively induced corneal astigmatism. This may explain the patient's decrease in visual acuity before the pterygium reaches the optical axis. Our data may help to determine the adequate time point for primary pterygium excision.