pinguecula and severe red eye problems

[jimmypop17]

Hi, I am 25 and have a pinguecula in my right eye and conected to it are many red veins that come from the inside corner of my nose to the pinguecula. Previously I had a pteryrium removed from the eye and have a stigma of -3 in this eye but have +1 in the other eye so my sight is fine. The veins that connect to this pinguecula are nearly constantly bloodshot, the whole of the inside cornea is red when concentrating and reacts to just about anything. II desperately want to get this sorted out. Would surgery to remove the pinguecula get rid of the veins. I have tried glasses and every type of eye drop possible and absolutely nothing works and I am very fustrated as everyone I have seen in London does not seem to have any solution!I would greatly appreciate some feedback.
Thank you

[jimmypop17]

****Sorry...Sandra!:)

[jimmypop17]

Thank you for your response Sarah, I grew up in South Africa and did spend quite alot of time outdoors. I saw a specialist in South Africa and had them removed from both eyes, my left eye is fine and have no issues with it. I thought it might have grown back as a pterygium on my right eye and saw and specialist at the Moorfields Eye clinic in London who examined it and said it was a pinguecula and after reading and looking at pictures I do agree with the doctor, as it does seem to be a tiny yellowish deposit that has veins running into it, the pterygium that I had before did look different and I have read that a pterygium is a more advanced form of a pinguecula.

The doctor said there is nothing that can be about it and that I will have to live with it and use eye drops, which I find a bit hard to believe. Hence I am hoping to find other solutions.

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

First, you were very young to have a pterygium, so my first question is whether or not that diagnosis was correct.  I would be particularly puzzled by the diagnosis if you have spent your life in the UK which has relatively low UV sunlight compared to equatorial countries.  Second, if you really had a pterygium, it is much more likely that the pterygium has grown back than that you have developed a second unrelated problem (pingueculum).  If this is a recurrent pterygium, then repeat removal with amniotic membrane grafting may improve the appearance of the eye although that corner will always be more touchy to environmental issues like wind and smoke.