Art Divinagracia, 62, said his surgery in March 2003 led to significant improvement in his life. He had suffered from chronic eye redness and irritation. "Before surgery, it was painful," he said. "The redness has disappeared."

A nurse who lives in Waikiki, Divinagracia surfs and plays beach volleyball. He thinks the condition may be related to time spent outdoors and exposure to X-ray radiation over the years.

James Yates, 48, of Makakilo, figures he developed the condition after years in the sun without protection from ultraviolet light. He works outdoors as a stevedore and surfs for fun.

He just had the surgery a month ago. The growth did not hurt him, he said. "I don't think it had an effect on my eyesight."

Ophthalmologist Jorge Camara says the operation he developed to correct pterygium can be done in 45 minutes. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Camara has not found a formal count of pterygium cases in Hawai'i or the world but found that it is more common nearer to the equator. "It actually is very prevalent," he said. Surgery usually is needed for people in their 40s and older.

The technique that Camara began developing 11 years ago involves using a radiofrequency unit to cut away a thin graft from the eye to replace the tissue that is removed. Using the radiofrequency unit is quicker, less painful and causes less bleeding than using a scissors or scalpel, he said.

Camara said the operation can be done in 45 minutes and the patients can go home when it's complete. In the paper, he tracked 171 operations on 151 patients with a success rate (without any recurrence) of more than 95 percent. He said other techniques had success rates ranging from 60 to 94 percent.

The patients agreed that the surgery had helped correct the problem and further convinced them of the importance of protecting their eyes. Now, they said they wear sunglasses and visors and remind family and friends to do the same.