A patient with a blind, painful eye or an intraocular tumor may be referred to Dr. Hellman for discussion of enucleation or evisceration. Surgery leads to improvement of chronic pain and improved cosmesis once a prosthetic eye is placed.
Enucleation
Enucleation is a surgical procedure that removes the eyeball. An implant is placed where the eye was to retain volume in the orbit, and the eyelid muscles are attached to the surrounding tissue to help with movement of the prosthetic eye. 4 to 6 weeks after the surgery, an ocularist will design a prosthetic eye that looks just like the healthy eye. The prosthesis is worn like a contact lens.
Evisceration
Evisceration is a similar procedure except that the sclera, the white part of the eye, is not removed. The orbital implant is placed in the scleral shell, and the eye muscles remain attached to the sclera. This is an excellent surgery but is not a good option when there is a tumor inside the eye.
Before (Top) & After (Bottom)
