03/12/2019
No, a pterygium is a benign growth and usually harmless. However, in some cases it may harbour cancerous cells.
It is not known exactly what causes a pterygium to develop, but dusty, sandy and sunny environments (with high UV exposure) are contributing factors.
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Pinguecula and pterygium
Chui et al. Ophthalmic pterygium: a stem cell disorder with premalignant features. Am J Pathol. 2011 Feb; 178(2): 817–827. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2010.10.037 ↩︎
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