Comparative study to evaluate the clinical outcome between conjunctival autograft transplantation and amniotic membrane transplantation in pterygium

: Pterygium is a common ocular surface disorder. Ultraviolet light can induce chronic inflammatory cells in the conjunctiva or damage limbal stem cells, suggesting that chronic inflammation may play a role in the development of pterygium. Surgical excision is the only treatment, with recurrence a major complication. This study is to compare the recurrence rates and surgical outcomes of primary pterygium with conjunctival autograft and amniotic membrane graft. : Patients were randomly divided into two groups of 80 patients each. One group received amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT), while the other group underwent pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft transplantation (PECAT). Patients were followed up postoperatively on day 1, day 7, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months and were observed for best corrected visual acuity, recurrence and graft related complications. : Complications were almost equal in both the groups. The recurrence rate was not statistically significant across the groups in our study. : Our study concludes that both the procedures are equally effective in terms of efficacy and outcome. AMT an alternative for bilateral heads or patients who might need glaucoma surgery later. Amniotic membrane grafting is a feasible option for patients, due to the rising prevalence of glaucoma, preserving the conjunctiva for individuals who may require filtering procedures in the future.