Preliminary results of subconjunctival bevacizumab in primary pterygium excision.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of subconjunctival bevacizumab as an adjunctive therapy for primary pterygium surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This randomized prospective clinical study was conducted on 30 eyes of 30 patients. After pterygium excision and accomplishing a rotational conjunctival flap, 15 patients (case group) received 1.25 mg (0.1 ml) bevacizumab, and 15 other patients (control group) received 0.1 ml balanced salt solution subconjunctivally. The main outcome measures were recurrence of pterygia, horizontal length of the corneal epithelial defect, conjunctival erythema, lacrimation and photophobia during the first postoperative week. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences regarding age, sex or recurrence risk factors between the two groups (p > 0.05). The pterygia resolved in 13 (86.6%) of 15 eyes in both groups, with a recurrence rate of 13.4% during a mean follow-up period of 8 +/- 1.4 months in the case group and 7.4 +/- 1.5 months in the control group (p = 0.2). There were no statistically significant differences regarding reduction in refractive astigmatism, improvement in visual acuity, corneal epithelial defects, conjunctival erythema, lacrimation or photophobia between the case and control groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A single intraoperative subconjunctival bevacizumab injection had no effect on recurrence rate or early postoperative conjunctival erythema, lacrimation, photophobia or healing of corneal epithelial defects following pterygium excision.