Treatment reserved for risk takers
Wednesday, May 7 2014 | 00 h 00 min | News
The British Medical Journal Case Report describes how a man cured an eye lesion by diving head first into a wave at 70 km/h.
The man had developed a pterygium, also known as “surfer’s eye.” This conjunctival lesion particularly affects people who have had extensive exposure to UV rays. Extending to the cornea, pterygia cause irritations and can lead to visual impairment.
Pterygia are normally treated with surgery. However, a 61-year-old man decided to try an unexpected – and radical – method. Surfing a wave exceeding 10 m in height at 70 km/h, he dipped his face into the water with his eyes open. This manoeuvre removed the pterygium, which in his case had invaded the cornea through the limbic conjunctiva.
Dr. Thomas Gordon Campbell does not hide his astonishment in the article, published on March 26. “This impressive manoeuvre literally erased the lesion and the patient’s symptoms have improved,” he wrote. It only took a few days for the wound to completely heal. Dr. Campbell reminds anyone who may be tempted to imitate this man’s actions, however, that the best treatment is still traditional surgery.
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