AIM:To investigate the efficiency of limbal stem cells autografting technique in primary pterygium surgery.METHODS:Forty-one patients(51 eyes) with primary pterygium were treated by limbal stem cells autografting technique and 35 patients(42 eyes) with primary pterygium were treated by simple excision technique.The definition of recurrence was pterygium tissue over the limbus onto the cornea in the area of previous pterygium excision.RESULTS:The follow-up periods ranged from 9 to 24 months.In the therapeutic group,the cure rate was 96% and the recurrence rate was 4%,but in the control group the cure rate was 76% and the recurrence rate was 24%.There was a statistically significant difference in the recurrence rate between the patients who underwent simple excision and those who underwent limbal conjunctival autografting(χ 2=8.09,P<0.01).CONCLUSION:Limbal stem cells autografting is an effective surgical technique for the treatment of primary pterygium.It has a low recurrence rate when compared with the simple excision technique.