[Eyeblink rate before and after pterygium exeresis].
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.
Takahagi
Rodrigo Ueno
RU
Departamento de Oftalmologia, Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Júlio de Mesquita Neto, Botucatu, SP, Brasil.
Gonçalves
Fernando
F
Yamamoto
Ricardo Kazuito
RK
Viveiros
Magda Massae Hata
MM
Schellini
Silvana Artioli
SA
Padovani
Carlos Roberto
CR
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