Why does an eye need to be removed?
Sometimes a blind eye can become painful. Although nobody wants to lose any part of their body, sometimes removing a painful blind eye is needed to allow a patient to get back to having a normal life.
What is involved in the surgery to remove an eye?
Surgery is performed on an outpatient basis and takes place in a hospital under general anesthesia. The tissues that cover the eyeball are carefully dissected and the painful eyeball is removed and replaced with a permanent sphere implant (similar to a ping pong ball). If possible, the eye muscles are connected to the implant to allow it to move normally. The eye tissue is then closed over the sphere implant. A clear piece of plastic (conformer) is placed under the eyelids. This is similar to a large hard contact lens. The eyelids are then sewn shut for 1 week.
Patients are typically seen one week and six weeks after surgery.
If healing progresses as expected, you will then be referred to an ocularist who will replace the conformer with a custom-made prosthetic to match your other eye. Ideally, the prosthesis will look and move just like your other normal eye.