AIM:To investigate effect and safety of the limbal stem cell transplantation combined with low concentrations of mitomycin C for pterygium patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).

METHODS: Eighty patients of 96 pterygium eyes admitted to hospital were divided into groups of high concentration, low concentration group and the control group, and 3 groups were given pterygium excision combined with limbal stem cell transplantation. The high concentration group, the low concentration groups were given prior to stem cell transplantation 0.2, 0.1mg/mL mitomycin C coverage. The cure rate and recurrence rate in three groups of patients, as well as visual acuity before and after treatment were compared.

RESULTS: Three groups patients' visual acuity were significantly improved after treatment(P<0.05), there was no significant difference before treatment in visual acuity(P>0.05); epithelial healing time of high concentration group was significantly higher than low concentration group and the control group(P<0.05), there was no significant difference between low concentration and control groups of epithelial healing time(P>0.05); cure rates of low concentration group was higher than high dose group, the recurrence rate in low concentration group was lower than the high dose group.

CONCLUSION: Pterygium excision combined with limbal stem cell transplantation has significant efficacy for pterygium, and mitomycin C can effectively reduce the relapse rate, but for the patients with T2DM concentration of mitomycin C should be reduced.