Comparison of Glue With Sutures for Pterygium Surgery

Pterygium excision surgery involves excising the abnormal growth from the cornea and filling the defect with a conjunctival (white of the eye) graft from the superior part of the eye. This is the best method of pterygium excision but it is recognised that in 10-15% of cases it will grow back (recurrence). Currently the investigators use small sutures to sew the graft in place. Recently it has been described that glue can be used instead of the sutures. It has been shown in one study that the patient discomfort is less and so is the surgical time. The investigators want to confirm these findings and also compare the recurrence rate between the two types of surgery. They plan to complete a prospective, randomised, control trial of 40 participants. Twenty will have traditional pterygium surgery with the conjunctival autograft sutured. Twenty will have cut and paste surgery with Tisseel glue. The two groups of participants will be compared for pain and discomfort, surgery time, and recurrence rate of the pterygia.