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Enucleation & Evisceration
In cases of blinding eye disease or injury, the ideal situation would be saving the eye. However, certain situations may require the eye to be removed in part (evisceration) or entirely (enucleation). While enucleation or evisceration will never be an easy decision, working with a fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeon ensures you are in skilled, compassionate hands.
What Are Enucleation and Evisceration?
There are two broad categories of eye removal. One is called an enucleation. This procedure entails full surgical removal of the eyeball. The eyelids and eye muscles are left intact. The other is called evisceration and involves removing the contents of the eye while leaving the outer structure (the white part) intact. Dr. Choe will review the options and help guide you in your decision about what is the best option for you.
Receiving an Orbital Implant
After the eyeball is removed, an orbital implant is placed. The orbital implant is a small sphere that is placed within the orbit or the area around the eye. The orbital implant creates volume so everything will not look sunken in afterward. The eye muscles are attached to the orbital implant, which will help give some movement in the future to the prosthetic eye. Then the conjunctiva is carefully closed in layers with sutures. The eyelids will be sewn shut.
Once the area has healed, we will send you to get fitted for an ocular prosthesis. This is made by a specialist called an ocularist. They will mold a custom prosthesis and paint it to match your other eye. The results can be quite impressive! While there are inevitably limitations with a prosthesis, they continue to improve and can look natural for many patients.
Why Would I Need Eye Removal Surgery?
- Significant trauma resulting in a ruptured globe (aka broken eyeball) that is considered to be beyond hope for significant improvement in vision despite extensive surgeries and heroic measures
- Tumors in the eye that require surgical excision as part of its treatment
- A severe infection of the eye causing leaking or completely infecting and destroying the inside contents of the eye
- An eye that has poor or no vision and is also becoming painful
Work with a Leading Oculoplastic Surgeon
If eye removal surgery is needed, working with a skilled surgeon is essential. As a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Choe is one of the go-to doctors for patients who need eye removal. Her extensive background and years of experience have equipped her to provide safe procedures that improve patient well-being. She engages each patient with a compassionate consultation process to fully explore available options and provide a clear overview of each option.
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