- Medically Reviewed by: Mr Mfazo Hove, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
- Author: Mr Mfazo Hove
- Published: June 3, 2025
- Last Updated: October 22, 2026
TL;DR: Blue Fin Vision® offers surgical removal of pinguecula in Hatfield at One Hatfield Hospital, 3 Hatfield Avenue, Hatfield, AL10 9UA. The service welcomes patients from across Hertfordshire, including those seeking treatment for more than one pinguecula.
A pinguecula is a small, non-cancerous raised patch on the conjunctiva, the clear membrane covering the white of the eye. The plural is pingueculae. Many patients have more than one, on both sides of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, or in both eyes.
Removing several in one visit is technically different from removing one. It is an area where our experience, more than 100 pingueculae removed between October 2025 and September 2026, makes a practical difference.
Pinguecula before surgery (top) and six weeks after surgical excision (bottom).
Why Several Pingueculae Are Not Simply One, Repeated
Pingueculae are common and often appear on both sides of the cornea and in both eyes. ¹ ² Treating two in one eye, or four across both eyes, raises questions a single removal does not:
- Bleeding at several sites. The white of the eye has a rich blood supply. We avoid diathermy, the use of heat to control bleeding, because thermal injury to the sclera, the tough white outer layer of the eye, could compromise the cosmetic result. Bleeding must therefore be controlled another way.
- Treating both eyes. Both eyes cannot be under pressure padding at once while you are being operated on.
- Leaving comfortably. You need to be able to see and travel home safely after surgery on both eyes.
How We Perform Pinguecula Surgery in Hatfield
We use lidocaine, a local anaesthetic that numbs the treatment area, with adrenaline. The adrenaline narrows small blood vessels and reduces bleeding.
When both eyes are treated, the first eye is operated on and padded with gentle pressure while the second eye is treated. The pads are then removed in turn once bleeding has settled, so each eye has had its time under pressure.
You go home wearing sunglasses, with no eye covering.
The aim is a flatter, whiter surface at every site. In a published series of pinguecula excision, meaning surgical removal, with conjunctival grafting, most patients rated their cosmetic result excellent or good at 12 months. ³ Conjunctival grafting involves placing a small piece of the patient’s own conjunctival tissue over the treated area.
Excision can also improve dry eye symptoms caused by a raised pinguecula. ⁴
Redness takes weeks to fade, however, and some fine vessels can remain.
Laser or Surgical Removal?
At One Hatfield Hospital, we offer surgical removal of pinguecula. Sometimes a pinguecula sits alongside a conjunctival naevus, a mole-like mark on the eye’s surface. The photograph below shows surgical removal of the pinguecula and argon laser treatment of the naevus.
Different lesions, different treatments: a conjunctival naevus and a pinguecula before treatment (top left), and after surgical excision of the pinguecula and argon laser removal of the naevus.
Sometimes a pinguecula sits alongside another surface lesion, such as a pigmented naevus, a coloured mole-like mark. Each is treated on its own merits, and both can often be managed in the same course of care.
Inflamed pingueculae can also disturb the nearby corneal surface, which is assessed before surgery. ⁵
Pinguecula Removal Costs in Hatfield
Surgical removal is priced per pinguecula, with reduced prices when more than one is treated together. See our costs page.
For further information, read the following pages:
Book a consultation with Blue Fin Vision® to discuss pinguecula removal at our eye clinic at One Hatfield Hospital and whether treatment is suitable for you.
References
- Panchapakesan J, Hourihan F, Mitchell P. Prevalence of pterygium and pinguecula: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Aust N Z J Ophthalmol. 1998;26 Suppl 1:S2-5.
- Le Q, Xiang J, Cui X, Zhou X, Xu J. Prevalence and associated factors of pinguecula in a rural population in Shanghai, Eastern China. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2015;22(2):130-8.
- Jung S, Kwon JW, Hwang HS, Chuck RS. Vascular regression after pinguecula excision and conjunctival autograft using fibrin glue. Eye Contact Lens. 2017;43(3):199-202. doi:10.1097/ICL.0000000000000250. PMID:27058827.
- Jeong J, Rand GM, Kwon T, Kwon JW. The improvement of dry eye symptoms after pinguecula excision and conjunctival autograft with fibrin glue. J Ophthalmol. 2019;2019:6438157. doi:10.1155/2019/6438157.
- Küçük E, Yilmaz U, Zor KR. Corneal epithelial damage and impaired tear functions in patients with inflamed pinguecula. J Ophthalmol. 2018;2018:2474173. doi:10.1155/2018/2474173.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr Mfazo Hove
MBChB MD FRCOphth CertLRS
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon | Founder and Medical Director, Blue Fin Vision®
Mr Mfazo Hove is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon with more than two decades of experience across NHS and private practice and more than 57,000 ophthalmic procedures performed. He trained for six and a half years at Moorfields Eye Hospital and served for five years as an NHS consultant at the Western Eye Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
He specialises in cataract surgery, refractive lens replacement, laser vision correction and implantable Collamer lenses (ICL). He is the founder and Medical Director of Blue Fin Vision®, a private ophthalmology group providing consultant-delivered care across London, Hertfordshire and Essex. His cataract surgery outcomes are publicly reported through the National Ophthalmology Database.
A ZEISS Key Opinion Leader and international speaker, Mr Hove is a contributing author to The Ophthalmologist. His writing examines how clinical governance and the organisation of ophthalmic services shape patients’ experiences and outcomes, with a focus on transparent outcome reporting, surgical training and long-term accountability for patient care.
