Bevacizumab and ocular wound healing after primary pterygium excision

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of subconjunctival bevacizumab on early postoperative wound healing in patients with primary pterygium excision.

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the patients were randomized into 2 groups. Group 1 (G1) received a total of 7.5  mg bevacizumab (5  mg/0.2  mL on the day of surgery and 2.5  mg on the fourth day after surgery). Group 2 received 0.2  mL balanced salt solution at the end of surgery. Postoperatively, patients were examined at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month. The following parameters were evaluated: horizontal length of the corneal epithelial defect (in millimeters), conjunctival erythema, conjunctival flap edema, subconjunctival hemorrhage, lacrimation, and photophobia. Any complications of conjunctival flaps such as retraction and melting or wound infection were recorded.

There were no statistically significant differences for age, sex, operated eye, and horizontal size of pterygium among 44 eyes of 44 patients, 22 in each group. No patient had conjunctival flap melting or retraction, keratitis, or nonhealing corneal epithelial defect. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups for the evaluated measures except for conjunctival erythema at the first postoperative day (P = 0.005), which was more common in G1. Although the horizontal length of corneal epithelial defect in G1 was twice that of group 2 on the seventh postoperative day (average 0.09 vs. 0.04  mm, range 0-1 vs. 0-0.3  mm), the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.45).

No adverse effect on early postoperative wound healing of excised primary pterygium was observed in patients who received subconjunctival bevacizumab.