3099: Resident case 18 with pterygium & cataract
Managing a coexisting pterygium and an opaque white cataract in an early resident case allows for a pragmatic clinical decision when vision is severely reduced to counting fingers. Because the patient exhibits a stable, quiescent pterygium that has remained unchanged for years and holds realistic refractive expectations, proceeding with cataract extraction alone provides rapid visual restoration. Constructing the main corneal incision and paracenteses away from the nasal pterygium permits safe, unhindered phaco, successfully prioritizing visual rehabilitation over perfect keratometric predictability. Watch the video to see how cataract surgery alone was executed to safely restore vision in this resident case. Do you agree with performing cataract surgery alone for a stable, quiescent pterygium when the cataract is visually limiting, or do you prefer routinely removing the pterygium first? Please comment your thoughts below.
