As summer fun reaches its heights and back to school is around the corner, we find ourselves spending more time soaking in the sun on the beach and playing on the ocean. All the fun in the sun means protecting your eyes with as much vigilance as you protect your skin.

Especially here in sun-drenched San Diego, we are more susceptible to a common eye problem called Pterygium in which a growth occurs on the transparent membrane covering the whites (sclera) of the eye.  It begins as a yellow or pink discoloration on the sclera near the nose, and grows inwards towards the pupil in a fan shape. The most common cases of pterygium happen when there is overexposure to wind and sun (ultraviolet rays). San Diego boaters, surfers construction workers or landscapers are especially vulnerable if they are not wearing quality sunglasses and hats, and tend to be the most common profile of people who develop pterygium.  Men are twice as susceptible as women.

This growth can affect vision if it extends onto the cornea near the visual axis or restricts movements of the eye.  Some of the symptoms include inflammation and redness in the eye.  Some people complain of feeling a foreign body sensation. The growth is visible and often, a cosmetic concern. At ClearView, Dr. Sandy T. Feldman, a Pterygium specialist in San Diego, can perform a suture-less surgical procedure to remove the growth and replace it with normal, healthy tissue. The sutures of the past that caused pain post-op, she replaced with fibrin glue. Dr. Feldman, a leading eye surgeon in San Diego, knows that surgery isn’t the only way to treat Pterygium as it has a reputation for re-growth. My solution is repair that vulnerable area with transplanted natural tissue taken from beneath the eyelid. The painless ten-minute procedure will clear vision and get dedicated surfers back in the water within two weeks.

The next time, you head out for the beach grab a wide-brimmed hat and wrap-around sunglasses that 100% block out UV rays.