Painful blind eye: efficacy of enucleation and evisceration in resolving ocular pain

Aims-To assess the effectiveness of enucleation or evisceration in relieving pain from painful blind eyes. Methods-24 patients with intractable ocular pain underwent enucleation or evisceration with or without an orbital implant. Results-Complete pain relief was achieved in all patients at an average time of 3 months (range 1-15 months). Seven patients required further medical or surgical treatment in addition to removal of the globe. Conclusion-Enucleation and evisceration were effective in relieving ocular pain in all patients with a painful blind eye in our study. However, complications of surgery and orbital implants can cause recurrent pain.