Purpose: To find the correlation between pterygium and dry eye.

Materials & Methods: Hundred patients with unilateral pterygium who attended ophthalmology outpatient department at a tertiary care hospital during a period of 1 and ½ years were included in the study. Slit lamp examination for marginal tear meniscus height, Tear film break up time, Schirmer’s test with anaesthesia, Schirmer’s test without anaesthesia, Rose Bengal staining were performed in both eyes of the patients. Test results were compared in pterygium eye and contralateral normal eye of the same patient. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis.

Results: Out of the 100 patients 59 were men, while 41 were women. The median age was 51.5 years. The mean of tear film break up time, Schirmer 1, Schirmer 2, staining score were 7.6 seconds, 12.4 mm, 9.1 mm and 0.5 in pterygium eyes and 11.2 seconds,17.0 mm, 14.6 mm and 0.2 in contralateral eyes respectively.There was a statistically significant difference in the dry eye tests results between the pterygium eyes and the contralateral eyes (p value < 0.05). The relationship of pterygium parameters (thickness, size) between tear film break up time and schirmer tests were evaluvated.Tear film break up time was significantly reduced in thick pterygium. Both tear breakup time and Schirmer's test results had no correlation with the horizontal size of pterygium. On comparison of pterygium eye with contralateral eye, Odd’s Ratio was 10.44 showing increased risk of dry eye in pterygium.

Conclusion: There is a significant association between pterygium and dry eye. Pterygium leads to abnormal tear film and development of dry eye.

Keywords: Pterygium; dry eye; Schirmer’s test; Tear film break up time test.