Having pterygium surgery
The following instructions are intended to guide patients through the process of pterygium surgery under Dr McKellar's care at the Day Stay unit at St George's Hospital.
For more detail on the technical aspects of cataract surgery please see Pterygium-Surgical treatment.
Prior to surgery
You will have received several documents including a prescription for eye drops and pain relief tablets.
Before your pre-admission visit please:
- Complete the St George's admission form
- Read the brochure entitled 'Pterygium Surgery' produced by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
- Note down any questions you want to ask Dr McKellar
- Collect your eyedrops and pain relief tablets from a pharmacy
Pre-admission visit
You will see Dr McKellar prior to your operation for a pre-admission assessment, usually on the morning of surgery. At this visit:
- Dr McKellar will finalise his surgical planning
- There will be a time to ask and have answered any questions
- Legal documents including the 'Consent to Operate' are completed
- Your appointment times will be confirmed
On the day of surgery
The following instructions are specific to Dr McKellar's patients and afternoon surgery. Please DISREGARD any other information you have read or been told by any other person.
- Wear comfortable clothing; an open neck top is preferable but not essential. You will NOT need to change out of your clothes.
- You may EAT NORMALLY. You do NOT need to fast and can DISREGARD the instructions on the St George's form which are intended for patients having surgery under general anaesthesia.
- Continue with all your usual medicines. You DO NOT need to stop aspirin or warfarin.
At St George's
Please arrive at St George's no later than the time you have been given. Expect to be at the hospital for 2-2½ hours. During your time at the hospital:
- A nurse will put anaesthetic drops in your eye and give you pain relief tablets PRIOR to surgery to minimise postoperative pain
- You will be placed on an 'eye bed'
- Dr McKellar will clean around your eye, cover the eye with a sterile drape and perform the surgery required.
- During surgery you will be aware of light from the operating microscope, Dr McKellar's hands touching around your eye, and machine noises. You may feel mild pressure in your eye but not pain.
- For more detailed information on the technical aspects of eye surgery see Pterygium-Surgical treatment.
- At the end of surgery a tight, 'double-pad' dressing will be applied over the eye
After pterygium surgery
You may bend down and resume normal physical activities.
Take the pain relief tablets as directed.
Removing your dressing
Leave the 'double-pad' dressing in place until the SECOND morning after surgery.
It is normal for the pad to be blood-stained and coated in mucous.
Clean around your eyelids with cooled boiled water and and a soft flannel.
Follow up
Following routine pterygium surgery your eye will be checked on several occasions. The first visit is usually 4 or 5 days after surgery. Subsequent visits will be arranged as needed. At least 5 visits over three months will be required.
What is normal?
Following pterygium surgery:
- Expect to feel miserable for a few days.
- Although you will be having day surgery under local anaesthesia the surface of the eye is very sensitive and takes several days to heal.
- There may be significant pain in the first 24 hours.
- There will be some swelling in the area where the pterygium was removed and the conjunctival graft placed.
- It may take several days for the focus of your eye to settle and there may be some fluctuation in your vision for several weeks.
- Your eye will be more sensitive to light after surgery, so you may want to wear sunglasses for your own comfort during this time .
- A watery eye and nose are common.
- Redness will be present for up to 3 months.
What is NOT normal?
Please let Dr McKellar know if any of the following occur:
- Severe or progressively worsening pain
- Decreased vision
Eye drops
Eye drops are critical to the success of pterygium surgery. They reduce the chance of pain, infection and ultimately, recurrence of the pterygium. You will normally have two types of eye drops. Please let Dr McKellar know if you have ever had an allergic reaction to any of the medication in the eyedrops prescribed.
| Drop | Dose | Begin | Stop |
| Chloramphenicol | 4 times a day | After eye-pad removed | 1 week after surgery |
| Maxidex | 4 times a day | After eye-pad removed | 3 months after surgery |
Tablets
Pterygium surgery involves the removal of tissue from the most sensitive part of the body. Without pain relief pterygium surgery can be very painful.
Dr McKellar has prescribed three different pain medications. You should use all three for the first few days.
It is wise to take your pain tablets 'by the clock' to avoid pain occurring. Preventing pain is easier than treating pain.
| Tablet | Dose | Frequency |
| Paracetamol | 1000mg | Every 4 hours |
| Codeine | 60mg | Every 4 hours |
| Diclofenac | 100mg | Daily |
Emergencies
If you have any pain or blurring THAT INCREASES over a day, at any stage after your surgery, contact Dr McKellar immediately. The rooms' telephone number is (03) 366-1682. Outside of working hours call (03) 348-4155 or 021 -724-222.
If at any stage you cannot contact Dr McKellar urgently, ring Christchurch Public Hospital and ask for 'The eye doctor on call'.