Changes in endothelial morphology and ocular aberrations in pterygium

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surface Analysis
• Ocular Aberrations

Background:

• Pterygium, a common ocular condition, can affect corneal topography and visual quality.
• Understanding the relationship between pterygium dimensions and ocular changes is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare corneal surface and endothelial changes in eyes with pterygium versus fellow eyes.
• To investigate the correlation between pterygium horizontal length (HL), vertical length (VL), depth, and observed ocular changes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 34 eyes with unilateral primary pterygium and their 34 fellow eyes.
• Assessment of topographic values, wavefront aberrations, and specular microscopy findings.
• Correlation analyses between pterygium dimensions (HL, VL, depth) and ocular parameters.

Main Results:

• Pterygium eyes exhibited lower uncorrected visual acuity and higher corneal astigmatism.
• Horizontal length (HL) showed a stronger correlation with corneal astigmatism than vertical length (VL).
• Significant increases in higher-order aberrations (HOA) and impaired point spread function (PSF) were observed in pterygium eyes.
• No significant effect of pterygium on endothelial cell density (ECD) was found.

Conclusions:

• Pterygium's impact on corneal aberrations is more closely linked to its horizontal length (HL).
• Pterygium depth does not significantly influence corneal aberrations.
• Pterygium does not have a significant detrimental effect on endothelial cell density (ECD).