title: [Eyeblink rate before and after pterygium exeresis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the eyeblink rate in patients with pterygium before and after the lesion exeresis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one patients with pterygium were evaluated before and 60 days after the lesion exeresis. They were digitally videotaped during one minute in a standard setting using a Sony Digital 8 DCR - TRV110 and the images were transferred to a personal computer (McIntosh 400) and processed with the iMovie software. The patients stayed in primary gaze position, under artificial illumination. Total blink, complete and incomplete blink and the opening and closure time were measured using frames scale. The data were submitted to statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before surgery, 36.36% of the patients with pterygium complained of foreign body and after that, 61.02% had no symptoms. The incomplete blink increased after surgery. The opening and closure time was similar before and after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With pterygium exeresis the symptoms decreased and the incomplete blink increased a little. Nevertheless the blink rate barely changed. Further research needs to be provided to confirm this hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Oftalmologia, Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Júlio de Mesquita Neto, Botucatu, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Ueno
authors.initials: RU
authors.lastname: Takahagi
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Ricardo Kazuito
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Magda Massae Hata
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Viveiros
authors.forename: Silvana Artioli
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Schellini
authors.forename: Carlos Roberto
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Padovani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001767:Blinking / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011625:Pterygium / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D014743:Videotape Recording; D055815:Young Adult