Evisceration - Beryl Carvalho - Eyes Alive

Evisceration

An evisceration is the removal of the eye's contents, leaving the sclera and extraocular muscles intact.

Evisceration is a procedure carried out to remove a diseased or painful blind eye. Put simply, the eye’s contents and cornea are removed, leaving the scleral shell (outer covering of the eye) and extraocular muscles in place.

The procedure is used to reduce pain and is also performed for cosmetic enhancement and to aid in the movement of an artificial eye.

Benefits of evisceration vs. enucleation of the eye

• Cosmesis (appearance)
• Movement

Many of Eyes Alive patients are those who have had an evisceration. Patients have motor accidents, freak accidents in the home or work and even some children have been injured while play fighting with another child. These are such sad cases as children don’t see the permanence of the eye loss when they play, one of my patients was stabbed in the eye by his brother with a butter knife, causing evisceration.

The role of an Ocularist

Your doctor will decide whether an evisceration can be done instead of a full enucleation. After the evisceration procedure a visit to a reputable Ocularist is your next step.

During the evisceration procedure; you are fitted with an implant to ensure that volume of the socket is not lost; this implant also allows the remaining eye muscles to function.

Once this has healed you can acquire an ocular prosthesis (artificial eye). This prosthesis is made by an Ocularist. That's where Eyes Alive comes in – Eyes Alive will take a mould of your socket and custom make your new artificial eye.

The prosthesis is most commonly a high grade acrylic shell that the eyelids hold in place. Our prostheses are made with exceptional attention to detail, created for superior appearance and comfort.