Evaluation of the Additive Effect of Bevacizumab Eye Drops to Mitomycin C in Primary Pterygium

Simple excision of pterygium, although very simple, is associated with variable postoperative recurrence rate which is especially high with bare sclera technique [1,2]. Recurrence of pterygium could be attributed to episcleral fibroblasts proliferation and neovascularization secondary to the traumatic and inflammatory processes following pterygium surgery. Histologically, pterygium comprises a highly developed vascular neoformation network that lies in a body of hypertrophic and elastotic connective tissue and covered with an atrophic conjunctival epithelium. Several active angiogenic and epithelial growth factors have been shown to be drastically increased in pterygium tissue; the most crucial molecule among these factors is the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The abundant expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in pterygia suggests that antiVEGF therapy may induce regression of blood vessels in pterygia or prevent its recurrence after excision [3,4]. Mutation in P53 gene on chromosome 17 with induced changes in the expression of Vascular Endothelium Growth Factor (VEGF) was suggested as a presumed etiology for pterygium recurrence [5].