{"id":14137,"date":"2021-06-23T06:59:03","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T06:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=14137"},"modified":"2021-12-13T14:38:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:38:51","slug":"what-is-a-pinguecula","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Pinguecula are found in over 47.9% of the adult population.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>This eye condition might be hard to pronounce, but according to <i>Eye Magazine<\/i> (2020), it impacts the lives of almost half of all adults.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What is a Pinguecula?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><strong>A pinguecula is often confused with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/pinguecula-and-pterygium\/\">corneal pterygium<\/a>, but is a benign, pale, yellowish growth on the eye\u2019s conjunctiva &#8211; the thin, transparent membrane that covers the outer surface of the eye.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These little growths may appear as cancerous, but they are mainly formed from fat, calcium or protein deposits. Pingueculae tend to be round or triangular in shape and are slightly raised. When they grow and protrude outwards, they can cause eye redness, dry eyes, irritation and other symptoms.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What causes a pinguecula?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Although not all causes of these growths have been identified, we do know that they can form due to excessive exposure to UV light, sunshine, wind, and other harsh elements.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, people who live near the equator are more likely to develop pingueculae than those who don\u2019t, due to the sun\u2019s powerful rays in those areas of the world. Pingueculae are also more common in older people, after the age of 60.<\/p>\n<p>If you suspect you have a pinguecula, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/pinguecula-and-pterygium\/\">notice any unusual growth on the front<\/a> of your eye <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>contact an eye doctor<\/b> <\/a>near you who can help.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/pinguecula-and-pterygium\/\">Pinguecula and Pterygium<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>What are common symptoms?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A pinguecula can cause any of the following symptoms, which usually occur solely in the affected eye:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Blurred vision<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Dry eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Red eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Gritty eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Itchy or burning eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Swollen eyes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Does a pinguecula require treatment?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>In most cases, a pinguecula doesn&#8217;t require any treatment, as it usually develops with age, is not a cancerous growth and doesn\u2019t cause any obvious discomfort.<\/p>\n<p>However, if your pinguecula is growing and starting to irritate you, it&#8217;s time to see your eye doctor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your eye doctor can prescribe eye drops or ointments to help soothe your eyes and relieve the swelling and redness.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In severe cases, the pinguecula may need to be surgically removed, but it\u2019s possible for it to grow back even after surgery.<\/p>\n<h2><b>How to prevent a pinguecula from developing<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/pinguecula-and-pterygium\/\">Both pinguecula and pterygium<\/a> are more likely to develop in people who spend a lot of time outdoors.<\/p>\n<p>To help prevent these growths from occurring, wear good quality sunglasses when outside. Make sure your sunglasses include a UV-blocking coating that blocks the sun\u2019s harmful rays.<\/p>\n<p>Also, sunglasses help protect your eyes from wind and other outdoor elements, such as sand. You should also wear protective eyewear when working in a dusty and dry environment.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to prevent a pinguecula is to keep your eyes moisturized with artificial tears.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/\"><strong>Guide to Corneal Conditions<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Schedule a comprehensive eye exam<\/b><\/a> with an eye doctor near you who can check your vision and eye health.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/pinguecula-and-pterygium\/\">pinguecula, a pterygium,<\/a> or any unusual growth on the front of your eye, it\u2019s important to have regular eye exams to ensure that this condition isn\u2019t impacting your eye health and vision.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pinguecula are found in over 47.9% of the adult population.\u00a0 This eye condition might be hard to pronounce, but according to Eye Magazine (2020), it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14138,"parent":20099,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14137","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0 - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0 - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pinguecula are found in over 47.9% of the adult population.\u00a0 This eye condition might be hard to pronounce, but according to Eye Magazine (2020), it\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-13T14:38:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"610\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"307\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/\",\"name\":\"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0 - Optometrists.org\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-23T06:59:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-13T14:38:51+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png\",\"width\":610,\"height\":307},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Primary Eye Care\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Guide to Eye Conditions\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Guide to Corneal Conditions\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/\",\"name\":\"Optometrists.org\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0 - Optometrists.org","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0 - Optometrists.org","og_description":"Pinguecula are found in over 47.9% of the adult population.\u00a0 This eye condition might be hard to pronounce, but according to Eye Magazine (2020), it","og_url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/","og_site_name":"Optometrists.org","article_modified_time":"2021-12-13T14:38:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":610,"height":307,"url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/","name":"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0 - Optometrists.org","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png","datePublished":"2021-06-23T06:59:03+00:00","dateModified":"2021-12-13T14:38:51+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pingu.png","width":610,"height":307},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/what-is-a-pinguecula\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Primary Eye Care","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Guide to Eye Conditions","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Guide to Corneal Conditions","item":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-corneal-diseases\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"What Is a Pinguecula?\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/","name":"Optometrists.org","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14137"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20241,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14137\/revisions\/20241"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}