2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
7 Oculofacial Plastic and Orbital Surgery
Part I: Orbit
Chapter 8: The Anophthalmic Socket
Enucleation and Evisceration
Intraoperative Complications of Enucleation and Evisceration
Removal of the wrong eye
Removal of the wrong eye is one of the most feared complications in ophthalmology. Taking a “time-out” immediately before enucleation or evisceration to reexamine the patient’s medical record, the operative permit, and the patient with ophthalmoscopy in the operating room is of critical importance. Marking the skin near the eye to be enucleated or eviscerated after having the patient and family point to the involved eye gives further assurance.
Ptosis and extraocular muscle damage
Avoiding excessive dissection, especially near the orbital roof and apex, reduces the chance of damaging the extraocular muscles, the levator muscle, and/or their innervation.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.