Evisceration in the modern age

Management of painful blind eye in Africa: A review

Background

Painful blind eye conditions in Africa constitute a compelling area of concern within public health, presenting substantial complexities for healthcare systems and the individuals afflicted. This comprehensive review delves into recent research and advancements concerning the management of these conditions across the African region. Drawing upon contemporary studies and data, we scrutinise the multifaceted aspects, including prevalence rates, causative factors, and regional variations.

Objective

To review existing articles on the current state of the management of blind painful eye conditions in Africa.

Materials and Methods

Articles regarding the subject were obtained from Google Scholar, AJOL, and PubMed using the keywords, painful, blind eye (PBE), Africa.

Results

Forty-four relevant articles were reviewed. They were further categorized into epidemiology, management approaches and challenges to management.

Conclusion

The management of the PBE poses a huge challenge and can either be medical or surgical. Collaborative efforts should be targeted at preventing the causes of a PBE. As the burden of painful blind eye conditions continues to exert a profound impact across Africa, this article underscores the pressing need for collaborative efforts involving governments, non-governmental organisations, and international entities. By prioritising awareness and enhancing healthcare accessibility, we collectively strive towards the alleviation of suffering and the prevention of avoidable visual impairment in this region.

[Epidemiological and clinical profile of ocular eviscerations in northern Algeria, about 136 cases]

Introduction

Despite the existence of well codified indications, the performance of mutilating surgery in ophthalmology is not an easy decision to take due to the aesthetic and moral damages that patients may suffer. This surgery should be considered as a last resort in the case of a non-functional, painful and unsightly eye or in the presence of an oncological involvement and after all conservative alternatives have been exhausted. This study aims to define the factors making it possible to favor ocular evisceration, which is the least mutilating of the above-mentioned surgeries, by determining the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the patients. In addition, the results of the study will serve as a starting point for epidemiological surveillance and will guide preventive activities and the fight against blindness.

Material & method

We conducted an exhaustive retrospective study of medical records from the archives of the ophthalmology departments of the Dr. Tidjani Damardji University Hospital Center in Tlemcen, the Specialized Hospital Establishment in ophthalmology of Oran Hamou Boutlelis, the Specialized Hospital Establishment in ophthalmology of Oran Front de mer and the University Hospital Center of Bejaia (unit Franz Fanon), in order to specify the epidemiological-clinical profile of patients who have undergone an ocular evisceration in the north of Algeria from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2014.

Results & discussion

We have identified 136 patients, representing an admission rate of 0,13% in all these services. We noted a slight male predominance with an estimated sex-ratio of 1.4. Evisceration was carried out mainly following an ocular trauma in 39% of cases. The surgical technique performed in all patients is a classic non-conservative evisceration of "four quadrants" or "four squares" under general anesthesia in 55.9% of cases. Post-operative complications were found in 19.8% of patients in our series, the main one being exteriorization of the intra-scleral implant in 9.5% of cases. This rate corresponds to the data in the literature, with figures between 0 and 67%. This complication may be in relation with the experience or even the competence of the surgeon. Accessibility to ocularists and the quality of prosthetic equipment were also studied. All the data collected were compared with data from the international medical literature. Our study carried out in the north of Algeria on ocular eviscerations, allowed us to deduce that this surgery is rarely carried out in ophthalmology. Its main indications are post-traumatic and post-infectious.

Conclusion

The prevention of mutilating surgeries requires early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ophthalmological pathologies and trauma. Losing an eye is always experienced as a tragedy and can be devastating at any age, affecting self-image and self-esteem. Psychological support is therefore essential.

Prosthetic Management of an Eviscerated Eye of a 13-month-old Patient: A Case Report

Background

On account of loss of eye following Rubella infection, a 13-month-old baby girl patient required a maxillofacial prosthesis to restore her facial esthetics and social health as she grows.

Case presentation

The process of prosthesis fabrication began at the time of enucleation where a conformer was given. Post healing the procedure was completed in a span of 2 days taking adequate trials and cross references for the like-like appearance of the prosthesis.

Conclusion

A heat-cure acrylic resin based prosthetic eye was delivered with adequate instructions on the insertion and removal and hygiene maintenance given to the care providers.

How to cite this article

Shetty NHG, Shetty MS, Saha S, et al. Prosthetic Management of an Eviscerated Eye of a 13-month-old Patient: A Case Report. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(1):89-91.

Painful-blind eye: A forgotten palliative care

Painful-blind eye (PBE) is a challenging and debilitating condition that greatly affects the quality of life of patients. Although PBE can result from a variety of etiologies, currently there is no guideline or consensus on how to approach therapeutically these patients, and most treatments are experience-based. We summarized the evidence from available studies to investigate the current state of PBE treatment strategies. This review revealed that the information available about therapeutic approaches in patients with PBE is insufficient and outdated, therefore, new experimental and larger studies are needed to reach an agreement about this condition.

Current Advances in Nano-Based and Polymeric Stimuli-Responsive Drug Delivery Targeting the Ocular Microenvironment: A Review and Envisaged Future Perspectives

Optimal vision remains one of the most essential elements of the sensory system continuously threatened by many ocular pathologies. Various pharmacological agents possess the potential to effectively treat these ophthalmic conditions; however, the use and efficacy of conventional ophthalmic formulations is hindered by ocular anatomical barriers. Recent novel designs of ophthalmic drug delivery systems (DDS) using nanotechnology show promising prospects, and ophthalmic formulations based on nanotechnology are currently being investigated due to their potential to bypass these barriers to ensure successful ocular drug delivery. More recently, stimuli-responsive nano drug carriers have gained more attention based on their great potential to effectively treat and alleviate many ocular diseases. The attraction is based on their biocompatibility and biodegradability, unique secondary conformations, varying functionalities, and, especially, the stimuli-enhanced therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects. This review introduces the design and fabrication of stimuli-responsive nano drug carriers, including those that are responsive to endogenous stimuli, viz., pH, reduction, reactive oxygen species, adenosine triphosphate, and enzymes or exogenous stimuli such as light, magnetic field or temperature, which are biologically related or applicable in clinical settings. Furthermore, the paper discusses the applications and prospects of these stimuli-responsive nano drug carriers that are capable of overcoming the biological barriers of ocular disease alleviation and/or treatment for in vivo administration. There remains a great need to accelerate the development of stimuli-responsive nano drug carriers for clinical transition and applications in the treatment of ocular diseases and possible extrapolation to other topical applications such as ungual or otic drug delivery.

The Ruptured Globe, Sympathetic Ophthalmia, and the 14-Day Rule

PURPOSE

Prophylactic enucleation of a ruptured globe with no light perception within 14 days of injury to prevent sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) has been an established dictum in academic teaching for more than 100 years. This treatment strategy was originally based on observation, speculation, and careful thought, but there was never any scientific proof. This review summarizes and updates the current state of our knowledge about globe rupture and SO, examines the origin and validity of the 14-day rule, and emphasizes the importance of trying to save the traumatized eye whenever possible.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature review of SO and globe rupture was performed.

RESULTS

SO is a rare disorder that may potentially occur following traumatic globe rupture as well as following a variety of other intraocular surgeries. Vitreoretinal surgery may be a more common cause than trauma according to some studies. SO may still occur despite having the eye removed within 14 days of the trauma. A variety of new medications including biologic agents are now available to treat SO with improved efficacy in suppressing the associated ocular inflammation and allowing retention of some useful vision. Removing the traumatized, blind eye may have other important psychological consequences associated with it that require consideration before eye removal is carried out. Retaining the blind, phthisical, disfigured eye avoids phantom vision and phantom pain associated with enucleation as well as providing a good platform to support and move an overlying prosthetic eye. Data on the occurrence of SO following evisceration and enucleation with and without predisposing factors confirms the exceedingly low risk.

CONCLUSION

Most civilian open globe injuries can be successfully repaired with modern, advanced microsurgical techniques currently available. Because of the exceedingly low risk of SO, even with the severity of open globe trauma during military conflicts being more devastating as a result of the blast and explosive injuries, today every attempt is made to primarily close the eye rather than primarily enucleate it, providing there is enough viable tissue to repair. The 14-day rule for eye removal after severe globe ruptures is not scientifically supported and does not always protect against SO, but the safe time period for prophylactic eye removal is not definitively known. In the exceptional cases where SO does occur, several new medications are now available that may help treat SO. We advocate saving the ruptured globe whenever possible and avoiding prophylactic enucleation to prevent the rare occurrence of SO. When an eye requires removal, evisceration is an acceptable alternative to enucleation in cases that do not harbor intraocular malignancy.

Anterior vestibule salvaging technique to limit silicone orbital implant extrusion following evisceration

Purpose: The anterior vestibule salvaging ('Birdcage') technique may limit orbital implant extrusion following evisceration. Methods: A 10-year retrospective chart review from 2005 to 2015 of individuals who underwent evisceration procedures utilizing the vestibule salvaging technique was performed. Results: A total of 96 patients (61 male; 35 female; average age 64 years; range 17-96 years) underwent evisceration with a technique avoiding anterior scleral relaxing incisions. Three (3.1%) patients had documented extrusion of the silicone implant. Time from evisceration to extrusion ranged from 26 to 372 days. Conclusions: Maintenance of the anterior scleral vestibule during evisceration may decrease extrusion rates after surgery compared with traditional evisceration techniques that utilize anterior relaxing incisions.

Persistent socket pain postenucleation and post evisceration: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To investigate causes, diagnostics and treatment modalities for persistent socket pain (PSP) after enucleation and evisceration.

METHODS

A systematic search was undertaken in accordance with the PRISMA Statement, in PubMed, Embase.com and Thomson Reuters/Web of Science. We searched for relevant papers until the 28th of July 2016. Inclusion criteria were (1) patients with a history of enucleation or evisceration, (2) PSP, (3) report of the cause and/or used diagnostics and/or treatment modality, (4) full text in English, Dutch or Spanish language. Excluded were (1) review articles, (2) comments, and publications concerning, (3) nonhumans, (4) exenterated patients, (5) acute postoperative pain, or (6) periorbital pain without pain in the socket. Given the lack of high quality evidence from randomized controlled trials, we examined all available evidence from primary observational studies and assessed quality within this lower level of evidence.

RESULTS

A total of 32 studies were included. Causes of PSP found were prosthesis-related (n = 5), dry socket (n = 2), trochleitis (n = 3), compression of the trigeminal nerve (n = 2), implant-related (n = unknown), inflammation (n = 5), surgery-related (n = 4), neuromas (n = 8), malignant tumours (n = 3), psychiatric/psychosocial (n = 2), phantom pain (n = 149), rarer entities (n = 3) or unknown (n = 14). Nonsurgical treatments suffice for conditions as trochleitis, prosthesis-related pain, dry socket and for phantom pain. Other causes of pain may require more invasive treatments such as implant removal.

CONCLUSION

Careful history and examination can give some direction in the diagnostic procedure; however, PSP is probably multifactorial and the specific origin(s) may remain uncertain. Implant replacement can be an effective treatment. Studies to identifiy less invasive procedures are required.

Evisceration surgery in a highly specialized center in Mexico: A retrospective study of 7 years of experience

INTRODUCTION

Evisceration is currently becoming the technique of choice in the treatment of certain eye diseases, including, among others, painful blind eye and endophthalmitis. The most widely used implants are currently the hydroxyapatite and porous polyethylene for the rehabilitation of the anophthalmic socket.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the indications, type of implant material used, and complications in evisceration surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective, observational, descriptive study based on clinical records of patients that underwent evisceration between 2008 and 2015 in the Instituto Fundación Conde de Valenciana, Mexico.

RESULTS

A total of 186 evisceration surgeries were performed, of which 52.7% of the patients were men. The mean age was 54 years. The right eye was eviscerated in 53% of cases, and 79.2% had a vision of no light perception. Most patients had preoperative pain. The most common diagnosis for which evisceration was performed was endophthalmitis. Phthisis bulbi was reported in 20 eyes. A primary implant was inserted in 86.81% of the cases, with 34.81% of the implants being made of porous polyethylene. Four cases showed extrusion of the implant, with 2 cases of porous polyethylene. The ocular prosthesis was tolerated in 91% of cases. There were no cases of sympathetic ophthalmia.

CONCLUSION

Evisceration is shown to be a good alternative to enucleation in cases where the sclera can be preserved, showing a low incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia.

Removal of the eye in a tertiary care center of China: a retrospective study on 573 cases in 20 years

AIM

To investigate the original protopathy, direct indications, clinical characteristics, complications of orbit plants and visual conditions of eye enucleation/evisceration.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 573 eyes removed (573 inpatients) at Ophthalmology Department in a tertiary care center of China from January 1993 to December 2012 was completed.

RESULTS

Cases underwent removal of the eye accounted for 2.15% of total ophthalmology inpatients, whose annual frequency declined from 3.80% to 0.52%. There were 167 eyes (29.14%) being enucleated and 406 (70.86%) eviscerated. Annual proportion of evisceration rose from 16.67% in 1993 to 90.48% in later years. Trauma was the top one (65.62%) in original protopathies followed by neoplasm (13.44%) and ocular infections (5.76%). Phthisis bulbi (45.20%) was the most common direct indication, succeeded by malignant tumor (12.57%), loss/unreconstructed of intraocular tissues due to trauma (11.00%), untreatable inflammation (9.60%), intractable glaucoma (8.55%) and sclerocorneal staphyloma (5.24%). Exenteration was underwent in 20 (25.97%) cases (40% for recurrent carcinoma). Following evisceration, secondary prosthesis implantation was more and earlier, implant exposure occurred in less but earlier and infection and extraction/exchange of implants were more than those following enucleation. Male, phthisis bulbi, evisceration and secondary implantation meant lower risk of implant exposure; eyes removed within 24h following trauma was an independent risk factor. There were 14.37% of eyes with vision of light perception at least as been removed. In the residual contralateral eyes, low vision accounted 5.58% and blindness 3.14%.

CONCLUSION

Ocular trauma, tumor and infections were great threats to eyeball preservation. Early and effective controlling of any original protopathies was vital. Generally evisceration presented more superior and safe outcomes than enucleation did. Visual conditions of the sufferers should be focused on.

Enucleation and evisceration at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country

Background

To analyze the demographics, indications, and surgical outcomes of anophthalmic surgery (enucleation and evisceration) at Jordan University Hospital during a 5-year period.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who had undergone evisceration or enucleation between August 2006 and June 2011. The data collected included age at time of surgery, sex, affected eye, surgical indication, implant size, and postoperative complications.

Results

Anophthalmic surgery was performed for 68 eyes of 67 patients during the study period (42 (62 %) eviscerations and 26 (38 %) enucleations). Forty-three patients (64 %) were men, and 40 (59 %) eyes were right eyes. Trauma was the leading cause for anophthalmic surgery in 40 % of cases followed by a blind painful eye secondary to glaucoma (19 %) in the enucleation group and endophthalmitis (28.6 %) in the evisceration group. The most common anophthalmic surgery complication was wound dehiscence in 11.5 % of patients in the enucleation and 9.5 % in the evisceration groups. The mean and median sizes of the implants for evisceration were 16.6 and 18.0 mm, respectively; for enucleation, both were 20 mm.

Conclusions

Evisceration was the preferred anophthalmic surgery in our series unless contraindicated. Trauma was the most common predisposing factor for evisceration and enucleation in our tertiary care center followed by blind painful eyes and endophthalmitis. The most common complication was wound dehiscence in both groups.

Indications for surgical removal of the eye in rural areas in cameroon

OBJECTIVE

To determine the main clinical indications for surgical removal of the eye in rural areas in Cameroon.

DESIGN

Retrospective non-comparative case series.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 253 patients presenting to the Manna eye clinic Nkongsamba who underwent destructive eye surgery (DES) between January 2006 and December 2010 were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Age, gender, occupation, prior medication, visual acuity, operation indications, and type of operation.

RESULTS

There were 58.10% (n = 147) men and 41.90% (n = 106) women. Median age was 29 years (interquartile range: 14-69 years); age ranged from 10 to 88 years. A total of 67.19% (n = 170) of participants were farmers and lived in rural zones. In all, 79.05% (n = 200) confessed to have trying a medication before the presentation. Surgical indications included infective causes (perforated corneal ulcer 33.20% (n = 84) and endophthalmitis 18.20% (n = 46)), trauma 17.40% (n = 44), painful blind eyes 11.50% (n = 29), malignancy 10.70% (n = 27), and others 9.10% (n = 23).

CONCLUSION

The most common causes of DES in this series could be avoided. Therefore, preventive measures including extensive health education of the public and traditional healers on the risks linked to the use of traditional medicines in ophthalmology and the late presentation of eye disease, quality control of the campaigns that offer free cataract operations in the country.

Topographic measurements of eyelids and orbit in enucleated eyes with hydroxyapatite integrated implant versus PMMA implant

INTRODUCTION

This study reports our results relating to palpebral eyelid fissure and orbital measurements following evisceration with orbital implantation of hydroxyapatite integrated implant and PMMA implant.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study is a prospective study of 43 patients that underwent evisceration for different ocular affections at University Emergency Hospital Bucharest, Ophthalmology department between January 2009 and September 2010 (Group A comprising of twenty patients had the coralline hydroxyapatite implant -Integrated Ocular Implants, USA and Group B comprising of twenty-three received non-integrated PMMA ocular implants) .The outcomes measured were the degree of exo /enophthalmos, horizontal eyelid fissure and palpebral fissure height at 4 years after surgical intervention related to measurement to the contralateral eye.

RESULTS

Horizontal eyelid fissure (HEF) was suffering a shortening of 7.4% in the group B versus the contralateral eye, and only 1.9% in the group A related to the contralateral eye. Eyelid fissure height was greater in the group B with 5.2% regarding the contralateral eye, and 1.2% in group A. The degree of enophthalmia was higher in the group B of 4 mm versus the contralateral eye and lower in group A 1.5 mm regarding the contralateral eye.

CONCLUSIONS

. Although a hydroxyapatite implant may be not as economic as a PMMA implant, a patient must be warned about the effect on its ocular structures in time and that cosmetic appearance over years will change more dramatically than in the fellow normal eye. Therefore preoperative counseling of the patient is crucial in long term patient satisfaction.

Survey on the management of orbital and intraocular tumors among oculofacial surgeons in the Asia-Pacific region

A web-based anonymous survey was performed to assess the common practices of oculofacial surgeons in the management of orbital and intraocular tumors in the Asia-Pacific region. The questionnaire comprised a series of questions covering controversial topics sent via email to 131 oculofacial surgeons across 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. A total response rate of 61.7 % was achieved from May to December 2012. The most common benign orbital tumor was cavernous hemangioma (39.6 %) and the most common malignant orbital tumor was lymphoma (85.7 %). 40 % of surgeons recommended orbital radiation, for which the most common indications were thyroid eye disease (70.0 %) and malignancy (30.0 %). The most common orbitotomy approach was lateral (79.2 %). Most surgeons (87.1 %) offered enucleation for retinoblastoma, but there was also a significant proportion that offered chemoreduction with transpupillary thermotherapy or cryotherapy (58.1 %). Fewer surgeons offered brachytherapy (16.1 %) and intra-arterial chemotherapy (6.5 %). When performing enucleation for retinoblastoma, 81.8 % of surgeons performed a primary orbital implant placement. The most preferred type of implant was silicone/acrylic (90.2, 90.2 and 87.8 % for elderly, adults and children, respectively). The majority of surgeons used donor sclera (57.5 %) or no wrapping material at all (32.5 %). Almost all surgeons (95.1 %) did not drill and peg the implant for motility. We report the results of the first survey of oculofacial surgeons in the Asia-Pacific region on the management of intraocular and orbital tumors. In comparison with previous surveys performed in the USA and the UK, we found the practice patterns of the Asia-Pacific surgeons to be comparable.

Sympathetic ophthalmia: to the twenty-first century and beyond

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare bilateral granulomatous inflammation that follows accidental or surgical insult to the uvea of one eye. Onset of sympathetic ophthalmia can be insidious or acute, with recurrent periods of exacerbation. Clinical presentation shows mutton-fat keratic precipitates, choroidal infiltrations, and Dalen-Fuchs nodules. Histopathology reveals diffuse or nodular granulomatous inflammation of the uvea. Prevention and treatment strategies for sympathetic ophthalmia are currently limited to two modalities, enucleation of the injured eye and immunosuppressive therapy, aimed at controlling inflammation. The etiology and pathophysiology of the disease is still unclear but is largely thought to be autoimmune in nature. Recent insight on the molecular pathology of the disease as well as developments in imaging technology have furthered both the understanding on the autoimmune process in sympathetic ophthalmia and the targeting of prevention and treatment strategies for the future.