METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled patients diagnosed with primary nasal pterygium who received treatment at Qiandongnan Aier Eye Hospital from April 2023 to June 2025. All participants had resided locally for at least 5 y. Subjects were divided into two groups by surgical modality. Group A underwent pterygium excision combined with autologous conjunctival-limbal stem cell transplantation; Group B received identical core surgery supplemented with 10 mm×15 mm dehydrated biological amniotic membrane to cover the surgical wound. Preoperative baseline data, postoperative day 1 pain and ocular irritation symptoms, the incidence of postoperative complications, 6-month pterygium recurrence rate, and surgical outcome grading were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS: A total of 60 patients(60 eyes)were included, with 30 patients(30 eyes)assigned to each group. Group A consisted of 18 males and 12 females, with a mean age of 56.57±9.34 y; Group B contained 12 males and 18 females, with a mean age of 55.60±9.23 y. No statistically significant intergroup differences were observed in preoperative gender composition, age, or the length of pterygial corneal invasion(all P>0.05), indicating comparable baseline profiles. On postoperative day 1, painful sensation was recorded in 18 eyes(60%)in Group A and 10 eyes(33%)in Group B(P=0.038). Ocular irritation including foreign body sensation, photophobia, and lacrimation occurred in 17 eyes(57%)in Group A versus 5 eyes(17%)in Group B(P=0.001), indicating statistically significance. Regarding short-term postoperative complications: conjunctival hyperemia was noted in 11 eyes of Group A and 7 eyes of Group B on postoperative day 10(P=0.260); conjunctival granulomas developed in 3 eyes of Group A within 1 mo postoperatively, whereas no such lesions appeared in Group B(P=0.237). At the 6-month follow-up, pterygium recurrence was identified in 4 eyes(13%)of Group A, while no recurrence was detected in Group B(P=0.112), with no significant intergroup difference. At 6 mo postoperatively, the surgical outcome grading distribution was as follows: in Group A, Grade 1 was observed in 9 eyes(30%), Grade 2 in 11 eyes(37%), Grade 3 in 6 eyes(20%), and Grade 4 in 4 eyes(13%); in Group B, Grade 1 was observed in 15 eyes(50%), Grade 2 in 14 eyes(47%), Grade 3 in 1 eye(3%), and Grade 4 in 0 eyes(0%). Group B achieved superior overall grading results compared with Group A(P=0.013).

CONCLUSION:For patients in Qiandongnan region, intraoperative application of dehydrated biological amniotic membrane can markedly alleviate early postoperative ocular irritation and improve surgical outcome grading. Nevertheless, this adjunct material only yields a favorable trend in reducing recurrence risk; further studies with expanded sample sizes are required for verification.