A study of the indications and changing trends of evisceration in north India

Aim: To study the demographic pattern and indications for evisceration in north India and to evaluate the changing trends over the last decade.
Methods: In a retrospective hospital-based study, case records of all patients who underwent evisceration at Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences from January 1990 to December 1999 were reviewed. The parameters evaluated were the age and sex distribution, the place of residence (urban/rural) and the indications for evisceration. The aetiology responsible for evisceration was determined on the basis of history, clinical examination and investigations as determined from previous records.
Results: One hundred and sixty-four patients had one eye eviscerated during the study period. The mean age of the patients was 51 ± 13.84 years (range 6 months to 90 years). Panophthalmitis was the most common indication for evisceration (78.6%, n  = 129), followed by irreparable globe injury (21.3%, n  = 35). There was a significant decrease in the eviscerations performed due to pano-phthalmitis from 104 cases during the period 1990−1994, to 25 cases in the period 1995−1999.
Conclusion: Panophthalmitis and severe ocular injury are the major indications of evisceration in north India. There has been a significant decrease in the number of eviscerations related to panophthalmitis over the last decade.