Eye care in “pterygium belt countries”

Abstract

Introduction. Pterygium is a benign disease of fibrovascular proliferation, which extends from the conjunctiva to the cornea, causing aesthetic and even visual problems. Its development is largely related to ultraviolet radiation and therefore to those activities carried out outdoors. Objective.  Carry out a bibliographic review on the risk factors for the development of pterygium in countries that are within the “Pterygium belt”, which allows describing eye care measures for the prevention of this pathology. Methodology.  Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Springer, Public Library of Science, Sage Journals were used and articles in Spanish and English published within the period from 2018 to 2022 were included. Results.  All the articles analyzed describe ultraviolet radiation as the main factor described for the development of pterygium. In addition, social characteristics are described as risk factors, such as male sex, adulthood, lower level of education, and even protective factors such as myopia are described. Conclusion. Ultraviolet radiation is the most important risk factor for the development of pterygium; however, other factors are recognized such as dust, wind, wood debris, sodium metabisulfite, radiation from welding and LED light.