limbal autograft after excision of primary and recurrent pterygium

purpose: to report the result of limbal autografting in primary and recurrent pterygium. methods: in this case series, all patients who were referred to our clinic at farabi hospital, isfahan, iran for treatment of pterygium were included. indications of surgery included chronic ocular irritation, impaired or threatened vision, ocular motility problem and cosmetic reasons. under subconjunctional anesthesia, pterygium was removed from the cornea and conjunctiva and a crescent shape limbal tissue from supratemporal region of the same or the sound eye was then prepared and sutured in the area of pterygium removal. in cases with conjunctival problem due to previous surgery or severity of the disease, some amount of conjunctival tissue was also included in the transplanted limbal tissue. postoperatively, topical betamethasone for 4 weeks and antibiotic for 2 weeks were prescribed. results: two-hundred and three eyes were studied of which, 125 eyes (61.6%) had primary and 78 eyes (38.4%) had recurrent pterygium. after at least one year of follow-up, only 9 eyes (4.5%) had recurrence larger than 1 mm. visual acuity and refraction improved in 60% of the eyes. no significant complication occurred except appearance of a fibrous tissue in the donor site which was not progressive and was covered by the upper lid in all cases. conclusions: surgical removal together with limbal autograft is a safe and effective method for treatment of primary and recurrent pterygium.