pterygium

1 9.9

A wedge-shaped growth of eye tissue that grows from the white onto the clear front part, often from sun exposure

noun
/tɛˈrɪdʒiəm/

Specialized

: pterigion

Adverse health effects include photokeratitis, pterygium, some types of cataracts, basal and squamous cell carcinomas, and malignant melanoma.

Examples

The doctor explained that a pterygium is a benign growth on the eye that can obstruct vision.
UVR also has been shown to be responsible for the acute conditions photokeratitis and erythema, as well as for the chronic eye conditions pingueculum, pterygium, and cataracts of some types.

Academic text (1998)
Mitomycin C was used clinically in ophthalmology as a means of preventing recurrent pterygium, as reported by Murakami et al. in 1967.

Academic text (2005)
After spending too much time in the sun, she developed a pterygium on her cornea.
He scheduled a consultation because the pterygium was affecting his ability to see clearly.

Surface Forms

pterygium singular

pterygia plural

Etymology

Pterygium comes from the Greek pterygion, meaning 'little wing', because the pale, wedge-shaped growth on the eye looks like a tiny wing. That's why a pterygium is the wing-like growth that can move onto the clear front part of the eye.