scar tissue after surgery

[DEEDEE2533]

I was in Vegas in 2006...burned my eyes so badly that pterygium grew to 1mm on each eye..then 2mm shortly after. I had surgery using my own tissue graft with a well know expert surgeon ...one eye turned out great...the other eye...horrible.It was 115 degrees in vegas ..i forgot sunglasses, was out by the pool at noon looking up into the sun...(Yes..i am mad at myself for causing this) it was so bright...after a short time i went to find shade but it was too late apparently. 3 days later , excruciating pain & my left eye doubled inside & completely dried out. Pterygium was diagnosed....my right eye grew 1 yr later very slowly.  My left eye the day after pterygium surgery, using my own tissue from the top of my eye..was raised up so high i thougth the growth was still there...& it had white swirly stuff in it...once again. The Dr says its fibrous scar tissue & there is nothing more he can do..& the eye is smaller & scrunched up..eyelid is a little droopy. Its causing me pain due to the raised up tissue..my question is...do u think amniotic membrane would work. better? OR could staring into 115 degree sun..uv rays ruined my eyes for good?

[DEEDEE2533]

i will try Jules Stein Eye Center in LA. What upsets me most is that Dr Hovanesian at Harvard Eye in Laguna...when i asked if amniotic membrane would be the better choice...he said...no...it is not necessary...but obviously my own tissue was not the way to go. I had the money at that time to go to any Dr in the country...and i chose him because of his high volume of successful pterygium surgery...he has taught at Jules Stein...on his resume i reviewed online. I dont have the money now & my eye is worse off inside & out. I trusted him because of his expertise...and my eye is horrible. I did burn my eye....on vegas...one eye turned out ok...with surgery using my tissue...but my worse eye...is..well...worse..Have u seen someone injure their eyes the way i did & have pterygium grow & surgery fail? What if my eye cant take another surgery? I cant live this way either.....:( so sad

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Repeat pterygium surgery in your case might very well require amniotic membrane tissue so go ahead and get a second opinion from someone who does a high volume of sucessful pterygium surgery.  You may want to go to a very good teaching hospital like Jules Stein Eye Center in LA for example if you are way out west.  There are of course many other excellent centers in different parts of the country. It is absolutely essential that you avoid sun and wind post op.