Objectives: To determine the hospital-based prevalence of pterygium and associated risk factors among patients attending the ophthalmology outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary care center in South India. Material and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 6 months (January–June 2024) in the OPD of a tertiary care center. A total of 2,475 patients were enrolled. Each underwent a detailed ocular examination, and data regarding demographics, occupational exposure, and systemic comorbidities were collected using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis included Chi-square tests for association and odds ratio (OR) calculations with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Multivariate binary logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of pterygium, and adjusted OR with 95% CI were reported. Results: Pterygium was identified in 271 of the 2,475 participants, yielding a prevalence of 10.95%. A higher prevalence was observed among individuals residing in rural areas (12.8%), those with outdoor occupations (12.9%), and those with systemic conditions such as hypertension (14.6%) and diabetes mellitus (14.0%). Statistically significant associations were found between pterygium and rural residence ( p < 0.0001), outdoor occupation ( p < 0.0001), hypertension ( p < 0.0001), and diabetes ( p = 0.0003). Systemic factors such as hypertension and diabetes demonstrated independent, but modest, associations, and the cross-sectional nature of the study warrants cautious interpretation of causality. Gender showed no significant association ( p = 0.52). The strongest risk factors were rural residence (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.53–2.92) and outdoor occupational exposure (OR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.40–2.53). On multivariate analysis, rural residence (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.48–2.84), outdoor occupation (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.39–2.52), hypertension (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.31–2.19) and diabetes mellitus (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.21–2.03) remained independently associated with pterygium (all p < 0.001). Age ( p = 0.838) and sex ( p = 0.563) were not significant in the adjusted model. Conclusion: The study confirms a prevalence of pterygium (10.95%) in this regional hospital cohort, with rural residency and outdoor work emerging as significant contributors. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus showed a moderate association, but their clinical relevance warrants cautious interpretation.
Mathews et al. (Mon,) studied this question.