Pterygium Pathology: A Prospective Case-Control Study on Tear Film Cytokine Levels

Figure 2

Overview of the association analysis between (I) the overall vascularized area on the ocular surface (~vascularization index) and the preoperative IL-6 (a), IL-8 (b), and VEGF (c) tear film levels, (II) the vascularization index and the area on the cornea covered by pterygium (~area) (d), (III) the area and preoperative IL-6 (e), IL-8 (f), and VEGF (g) levels, and (IV) the preoperative IL-6 and VEGF (h) tear film levels in pterygium patients (, PPt+RPt). Out of the eight analyses, only two combinations revealed a linear positive relationship, i.e., between vascularization index and area (d) and between IL-6 and VEGF (h). Statistical significance was tested using a linear mixed effect model, and the corresponding values are depicted on the graphs. For illustrative purposes, a simple linear regression line is represented.

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