Pronounced “pin-gwek-you-lum”, a pingueculum is similar to a pterygium. It is usually a soft yellow mass confined to the white part of the eye. It too can be surgically removed in the same way as a pterygium, but this is rarely necessary.
While the causes of both conditions are unknown, pterygiums and pingueculums are more likely to develop in people who work outdoors and spend a lot of time in the sun, wind and dust.