Pterygium is a benign conjunctival neoformation usually treated by surgical excision, but recurrences may affect 30% to 89% of cases, so that adjunctive therapies like conjunctival autografting, antimitotic drugsandbeta-irradiation(-irradiation)areoftenusedtoimprovetherateoflocalcontrol.Ouressayhas reviewedrelevantstudiesaddressingtheroleofpostoperativeirradiationinthetreatmentofpterygium in the last 30 years through an Internet-based search and hand search in libraries. Sixteen studies on -irradiation and one on soft X-ray irradiation were accessible. They covered more than 6000 lesions treatedbysurgicalexcisionandpostoperative-irradiationusingstrontium-90(90Sr)applicatorsatdoses varyingfrom10to60Gy/1–6fractions/1–6weeksstartingwithin3dayspostoperatively.Theratesoflocal recurrencewereingenerallowerthan15%andmajorcomplicationssuchasscleralthinning,ulceration, infections,orradiation-inducedcataractwererarelyencountered.Earlypostoperative -irradiationata doseof30Gy/threefractions/2–3weeksstartingwithin24hfromsurgicalexcisionisaneffectiveandsafe procedurewithlocalcontrolratescomparabletochemotherapeuticagentsandconjunctivalautografting and superior to simple excision alone.