Laura Clare was just 26 years old when she noticed slight discoloration and a “strange” feeling in her eyes.
I could never have predicted the symptoms were a sign of an excruciating, yet preventable, disease to which thousands of Australians are at risk.
Laura had pterygium, a painful, non-cancerous growth caused by excessive exposure to sunlight without wearing sunglasses or adequate sun protection.
Essentially it is a “fleshy, overgrowth of the conjunctiva”, the thin transparent membrane on the surface of the eye.
Now in her mid-30s, the Australian content creator told FEMAIL that her first symptom occurred when she was sitting working on her computer.
“My eyes felt so swollen I couldn’t understand what it was,” he recalled. “They looked a little yellow and seemed to get worse over the next few days.”
Laura originally thought she had a speck of dust stuck in her eye that she couldn’t remove.
“I had never experienced anything like this before, so I wanted to get checked out right away. The attacks had subsided when I went to the doctor, but I wanted to know what happened,” she said.
Like many Australians, Laura admits she “wasn’t very good” with sun protection growing up and rarely wore sunglasses or hats while sunbathing, something she enjoyed regularly.
Laura Clare was 26 years old when she noticed discoloration and a “strange” sensation in her eyes.
At first, Laura thought she had a speck of dust stuck in her eye; He never expected to be diagnosed with a rare disease called pterygium. The growths can be seen here on the inner side of each eyeball.
“I guess it was my young brain that didn’t make the best decisions for me or my body; I was more interested in getting a tan,” she said.
In addition to sunlight, excessive exposure to dusty or sandy conditions can also contribute to a person’s risk of contracting the disease.
More than 270,000 Australians are affected by pterygium, especially those who spend a lot of time surfing or working outdoors.
It has been colloquially called “surfer’s eye” and can appear regardless of eye color.
When she was in her twenties, Laura had to wear glasses full-time because the growths made it too difficult to wear contact lenses.
“It was horrible because I don’t like wearing glasses at all,” he said.
“I don’t like the way they feel on my face, it’s very uncomfortable, but I can’t see without corrective lenses.”
For almost a decade, Laura managed her symptoms as best she could.
She went to the doctor frequently but was fired. She was usually told that it was “no big deal” and that she would be a candidate for surgery “once it got worse.”
“I just accepted that I had to live with the disease,” he said.
Laura managed her symptoms as best she could for ten years before needing surgery.
Laura leaned on her friends and family during her recovery
‘Sometimes I used eye drops, but if I had a flare-up I would go to bed early and I would be better in the morning. Other times nothing worked, not even drops or sleep.’
His condition also worsened if he walked his dog, went outside on a windy day, went out into the sun without sunglasses, or spent too much time in front of a computer.
Surgery is the only treatment that can remove a pterygium, and doctors recommend removing it before it grows through the cornea and affects vision.
If left untreated, pterygium can scar the cornea and cause permanent vision problems.
“I made the decision to pay for the surgery out of pocket because my eyes got worse pretty quickly,” he said.
“My doctor said I couldn’t go to the public health system until the pterygium reached my ward, but anyway the waiting list was more than a year.”
Surgery to remove the growths in both eyes cost him $7,000 and the aftercare included three months of post-operative steroid drops and following a care protocol.
The young woman revealed that at first she was afraid to undergo the surgery, but that it was the only way to get rid of the growths for good.
‘It was very scary because your eyes are your buffer in life. “To think that someone is going to attack them with a scalpel is uncomfortable,” he said.
Laura admitted that she was terrified by the idea of surgery, but that it was the only way to treat the growth permanently.
‘It was very scary because your eyes are your buffer in life. “To think that someone is going to attack them with a scalpel is uncomfortable,” he said.
‘However, the pain I felt was much greater than the surgeries I have gone through. It was like having sand constantly stuck in my eyes. It got burned, it’s the same as when you accidentally get sunscreen on them.’
The procedure went well and she was lucky to have a strong support system around her during the recovery process.
“My loved ones took care of me, helped me blindfold me and gave me eye drops,” she said.
“Afterwards I couldn’t drive for a while either.”
Laura’s main takeaway, and something she wants to emphasize to Australians of all ages, is that you should protect yourself from the sun. oh really.
“We are taught a lot about sun damage to our skin, but not to our eyes,” Laura said. ‘It’s very important for people to consider their eyes.
“Everyone should wear appropriate sunglasses with UV protection according to Australian standards.”
And although it is a treatable condition, it can be dangerous and lead to a long recovery after surgery.
“It’s been about six weeks since the operation and one of my eyes has started to return to normal,” he said.
“I was very red for a long time and had spots that could dissolve, but I finally feel like myself again.
“If you feel that something is wrong with your eyes, go to a doctor immediately and defend yourself: the sooner you treat it, the better.”