|  | | Definitions - Anophthalmia is a medical term used to describe the absence of the globe and ocular tissue from the orbit.
- This was first reported more than 400 years ago, yet it is only recently that significant reconstructive options became available.
- There are many reasons why one might lose an eye.
- Surgeries which result in anophthalmos:
Enucleation
| | | | Evisceration
| | | - Only the contents of the eye (iris, lens, vitreous, retina, and choroid) are removed
- The leaves behind a pocket of sclera.
- Improved motility:
- because the muscles that control eye movement remain attached to the sclera
- Sclera is filled with an orbital implant or sphere.
- The sphere may be made of MEDPOR®, PMMA or hydroxyapatite material.
- This orbital sphere or implant remains permanently
- A prosthetic eye can be made 6-8 weeks later by an ocularist
- Contrast with ENUCLEATION
| | | | | Exenteration
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| An exenteration removes the entire ORBITAL contents, the eye, the muscles which control eye movement, and generally the eyelids. Since the orbit is empty, implants are more difficult to create Some may be attached to eyeglasses, others to the orbit with the help of magnets
| | | | The patient above (left) had recurrent basal cell carcinoma invade his orbit. The photo on the right, shows the muscle flap rotated down, covering the inner wall of the orbit. Not there is no soft tissue within the orbit.
| | | - The patient to the right, was diagnosed with sinus-orbital-melanoma.
- She underwent exenteration and had a prosethesis made of the eye, eyelid and surrounding tissues to avoid the need to wear glasses with built in prosthesis.
- Note, this fits in the orbit (such as the orbit show above, right), with the aid of magnets.
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Etiology - Anophthalmia ( A medical term used to describe the absence of the globe and ocular tissue from the orbit ) can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life. Congenital anophthalmia can occur alone or along with other birth defects. Cases of Anophthalmia may result from inherited genetic mutations, sporadic genetic mutations, chromosome abnormalities, prenatal environmental insult or unknown.
- born without eye. (Anophthalmia is very rare but the exact incidence is unknown. One report from a prospective study of 50,000 newborns found an incidence of microphthalmia of 0.22 per 1,000 live births)
- trauma
- infection
- tumor (such as retinoblastoma, choroidal malignant melanoma)
- advanced ocular disease (corneal disease, advanced resistant glaucoma)
Goals in Surgery - well-tolerated orbital implant
- excellent appearance
- good motility
Click below to see a Patient's Guide to Treatment
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Click above to visit the POREX SURGICAL website and learn about MEDPOR®
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