Ann Optom Contact Lens.  2025 Mar;24(1):7-11. 10.52725/aocl.2025.24.1.7.

Objective Evaluation of Changes in Optical Quality after Pterygium Excision

• Seong J
• Han SB

• KMID: 2565907
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.52725/aocl.2025.24.1.7

Abstract

Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate changes in optical quality after pterygium excision.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 14 patients (14 eyes) who had undergone pterygium excision using a limbal conjunctival autograft. All participants underwent the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) test, corneal topography, and Optical Quality Analysis System (OQAS) test preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. The changes in these parameters associated with surgery were analyzed.
Results
The participants were 10 men (10 eyes) and four women (four eyes), with a mean age of 61.6 years. There was no significant difference in the BCVA preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. Corneal topography revealed significantly reduced astigmatism and OQAS showed that the modulation transfer function (MTF) cutoff value and Strehl ratio significantly improved postoperatively. Pterygium-induced astigmatism was significantly associated with the objective scatter index, MTF cutoff value, and Strehl ratio.
Conclusions
Pterygium excision may result in improved optical quality, suggesting that pterygia can decrease optical quality. A greater degree of pterygium-induced astigmatism may be associated with a more severe impairment of optical quality.

Keyword

Corneal wavefront aberration; Optical system; Pterygium; Vision