The Effect of Topical 0.05% Cyclosporine in the Prevention of Recurrence Following Pterygium Surgery

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the effect of topical cyclosporine A (CsA) (Restasis, Abbvie, Lake Bluff, IL, USA) on recurrence rates and tear metrics after pterygium excision and limbal-conjunctival autografting (LCUA) technique in patients with primary pterygium.
METHODS: A total of 60 eyes of 60 patients with primary pterygium who underwent pterygium excision and the LCUA technique were evaluated prospectively. Among them, 30 eyes of 30 patients were treated with topical CsA (Restasis) for 6 months postoperatively (Group 1). The remainder of the patients were assigned to Group 2. The follow-up period was 12 months for each group. The primary outcome measures were a comparison of Schirmer I test and fluorescein tear break-up time (FTBUT) results, the recurrence rate, and postoperative complications.
RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age (mean age of Group 1 and 2 was 55.0±9.7 years and 56.3±8.9 years, respectively) or sex between groups (p>0.05). Farmers were the largest group of patients (40.0%). Recurrence of pterygium was observed in 5 (16.6%) eyes in Group 1 and 8 (26.6%) eyes in Group 2. The recurrence rate was not statistically significant between groups (p=0.35). The complication rate was significantly lower in Group 1 compared with that of Group 2 (p=0.02). The average increase in Schirmer I and FTBUT values was significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p<0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The use of topical CsA did not demonstrate any significant improvement in the recurrence rate of pterygium following LCUA surgery.