Aspergillus panophthalmitis complicating treatment of pterygium

A 58-year-old woman lost her left eye due to Aspergillus panophthalmitis four months after excision of a pterygium. The patient had received postoperative beta radiation and developed a scleral ulcer in the area of treatment from which no organisms could be cultured on two occasions. Because of the difficulty of diagnosing superficial mycotic infections of the eye, and because the treatment of so-called radiation scleritis may worsen fungal infections, ophthalmologists need to be aware of the potential infectious complications associated with the treatment of pterygia.