Diagnosis

Generally the diagnosis of a pterygium is quite straight forward but there are some uncommon conditions such as cancer on the surface of the eye, or a very common condition called pinguecula which is present in 40% of the Australian population, which can be confused with a pterygium. 

Changes similar to those seen in a pterygium can sometimes be seen after damage to the surface of the eye, or a rare condition called limbal deficiency.  Because of this, a definitive diagnosis can only be made by an eye health care professional, using a high magnification microscope known as a slit lamp.