Abstract:AIM: To study the demographic pattern and indications for enucleation and evisceration in West Malaysia, and to evaluate the changing trends of the same over the past three decades. · METHODS: In a retrospective hospital based study, case records of all patients who underwent enucleation and evisceration at University of Malaya Medical Centre over a period of 20 years (1985/2004) were reviewed. Age, gender, ethnicity of patients, indications for enucleation and evisceration were evaluated. · RESULTS: Out of 160 patients, enucleation was done in one eye in 85 patients and evisceration was done in one eye in 75 patients during the study period. The mean age of patients was 36.4 years with a range of 6 months to 90 years. In our study, panophthalmitis (26.9%) and retinoblastoma (18.8%) were the most common causes of evisceration and enucleation respectively. Infections of the eye contributed to 72.0% of eviscerations while tumors contributed to 51.8% of enucleations. There was a significant decrease in the removal of eyes over the past three decades in our hospital. The number of removal of eyes for glaucoma and trauma-related causes significantly reduced while removal for infection- related causes and painful blind eyes significantly increased when compared to the figures reported three decades ago from our hospital. · CONCLUSION: Panophthalmitis and intraocular tumors are the major indications for the removal of eyes. Although the frequency of removal of eye has significantly decreased over time in our country, the indications for the same suggest that there is a need of further improvement of eye care services in Malaysia.
