THE ROLE OF AMNIOTIC MEMBRANE GRAFTING IN MANAGEMENT OF PTERYGIUM

Abstract

The normal ocular surface IS covered by corneal, limbal, and conjunctival epithelia, each of which has a distinct differentiated phenotype. Together they maintain the ocular surface integrity and serve the unique function of each structure. Pterygium is a fibrovascular outgrowth of bulbar conjunctiva over the cornea and may produce visual impairment There are multiple lines for treating pterygium which includes, surgical excision leaving bare scleral area, surgical excision with primary closure, conjunctival autograft, limbal autograft, transplantation oflimbal stem cells A number of other methods have been invoked with respect to pterygium removal which includes transplantation of the head of the pterygium, split skin graft, excimer laser treatment, conjunctival rotation autograft, limbal transplantation and amniotic membrane transplantation Amniotic membrane is a thin semitransparent tissue forming an innermost layer ofthe fetal membrane, which contains a thick basement membrane with a single layer of epithelium and avascular matrix. This transplantation promotes normal conjuctival growth with suppressing fibrosis formation. Amniotic membrane transplantation can be considered as an alternative method for treating ocular surface reconstruction in various diseases