Indication for eye removal in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

The indication for surgical eye removal reflects the pattern of severe ocular diseases in a given community and gives insight into the causes of uniocular blindness. It is an unfortunate end to certain ocular morbidities. In instances where the fellow eye is already blind, it then becomes even more grievous. The aim of the study is to find out the reasons for surgical eye removal in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) Ile-Ife. Nigeria. Retrospective analytic study of records of all patients who had their eyes removed in the Ophthalmic theatre of OAUTHC Ile-Ife from January 1994 - December 2003 were reviewed without prejudice to method of such removal. A total of 94 eyes were removed during this 10 year period, out of which 92 records were available for inclusion in this study. 30.4% of the patients were below 10 years of age. The male to female ratio was 2.1:1. All cases of eye removal were uniocular. Trauma was the leading cause of eye removal (43.4%) while orbito-ocular tumour was next (30.4%). Tumour was the leading cause of eye removal in the paediatric age group (87.2%) with Retinoblastoma being the commonest indication. Six out of the 92 (6.5%) patients studied unfortunately were already blind in the second eye; in this group of individuals the reason for eye removal was preventable in 83.3%. Most of the indications for eye removal were avoidable. Eye health education is needful for the general populace and particularly for individuals with an 'only' eye.