THE MANAGEMENT of pterygia in the tropical area of the Canal Zone is one of the paramount problems confronting the ophthalmologist.
During the years 1950 and 1951 a total of 170 patients had surgical removal of pterygia at Gorgas Hospital. Of this group only 18% were American white persons; 82% were Panamanians employed by the Canal Zone. The Panamanian group included Jamaicans and scattered units from other Central-American countries now living in Panama. Only one-fourth of this group were females. Sixty-five per cent of these patients were between the ages of 20 and 40. A Negro girl aged 7 years was operated on in this series. Fifty-six patients had an operation for pterygium on the right eye, 59 on the left eye, and 53 on both eyes. On 100 patients a McReynolds or a modified McReynolds transplantation was done. A resection was performed on 70 patients. The resection type of