Eye Removal Surgery
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on May 6, 2024.
What do I need to know about eye removal surgery?
Eye removal surgery is used to remove the entire eyeball. The surgery is also called an enucleation. Eye removal surgery is used to treat eye cancer, a serious infection or injury, or pain from blindness. You may be able to receive an artificial eye 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. The eye will be made to match your other eye.
How do I prepare for surgery?
Your healthcare provider will talk to you about how to prepare for surgery. You may be told not to eat or drink anything after midnight on the day of your surgery. Your provider will tell you which medicines to take or not take on the day of your surgery. Your provider may tell you to stop taking blood thinners a few days before your surgery.
What will happen during surgery?
- You may be given a shot of medicine to numb the area if you will be awake for the surgery. You may instead be given general anesthesia to keep you asleep and free from pain during surgery. Your surgeon will cut muscles and tissues attached to your eyeball. Your surgeon will hold the eyeball still while the optic nerve is cut. The optic nerve attaches the back of the eye to the socket. Your surgeon will then remove the eyeball.
- An implant the same size as your eye will be placed into the eye socket. The implant will help keep the shape of your eye within your eyelids. If you will receive an artificial eye, it will be placed over the implant. The implant will be attached to muscles that move the eyeball. This will allow the artificial eye to move with your other eye.
What are the risks of eye removal surgery?
You may bleed more than expected during surgery, or develop a blood clot. The clot can break free and cause a life-threatening stroke or heart attack. Your stitches may come apart and expose parts of your eye socket that are still healing. Exposure of these tissues can lead to serious infection. You may develop an infection within the eye socket that can spread to your blood. You may have long-term trouble with the peripheral (side) vision in your other eye. You may think you feel pain in the eye that was removed. This is called phantom pain and may continue for several years after surgery.
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Further information
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