Nine-year incidence and risk factors for pterygium in the barbados eye studies

To present 9-year incidence data and associated risk factors for pterygium among black participants in the Barbados Eye Studies.

Population-based incidence study.

A total of 1888 black participants, aged 40 to 84 years, who were free of pterygium at baseline and received an ophthalmologic study examination at the 9-year follow-up.

Age and sex-specific 9-year incidence of pterygium is presented. Risk factors were initially identified using Mantel-Haenszel analyses, and significant factors (P<0.10) were subsequently included in multivariate logistic regression models. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are provided.

Development of pterygium, defined as the presence of a raised fleshy growth that crosses the limbus and encroaches onto the clear cornea.

The 9-year incidence of pterygium was 11.6% (95% CI, 10.1-13.1), with no clear pattern with increasing age and no statistically significant differences between genders. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that having a lifetime outdoor job location was positively associated with the development of pterygium (OR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.05-2.16), whereas darker skin color (OR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46-0.97) and use of any prescription lenses (OR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.42-0.81) were found to be protective factors.

The incidence of pterygium was high in this population, for an average of 1.3% per year. Working outdoors increased the risk 1.5-fold, whereas having a darker skin complexion and using eyewear for either reading or distance substantially decreased the risk of developing pterygium. These data suggest that absorption of ultraviolet light plays a role in this condition and that preventive strategies are needed to decrease the burden of pterygium development in this and other populations.

The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.