Objective Evaluation of Changes in Optical Quality after Pterygium Excision

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.