Ophthalmic surgeons may want to remove ocular structures when they are affected by neoplasia, when they are distressed by a severe infectious process, or when an end-stage ocular disease is causing pain. There are three types of ophthalmic intervention:

Enucleation

Removal of the entire eyeball, including sclera and cornea, leaving a stump of the optic nerve and the extraocular muscles. An intraorbital prosthesis is usually implanted.

Evisceration

Removal of all intraocular structures, leaving only sclera and sometimes cornea. An ocular prosthesis is usually implanted.

Exenteration

Removal of the eyeball and the orbital contents which may include removal of orbital bone.

Enucleation is the most frequently performed surgical approach for elimination of intraocular structures. When ocular disease has rendered an eye completely blind (incapable of perceiving the brightest light), any possibility of visual recovery is minimal. Frequently, such severity of pathology makes an eye painful and cosmetically unacceptable in spite of medical treatment. Although there are several procedural choices, the most widely accepted surgery is removal of the eye or enucleation because of its long-term outcome and safety. A frequent scenario where enucleation is recommended is after severe ocular trauma. A blind eye should be enucleated within 2 weeks after trauma to prevent sympathetic ophthalmia, a rare complication where the exposed uveal tissue leads to autoimmune attack of the contralateral healthy eye. Other indications for enucleation include infectious endophthalmitis, end-stage glaucoma, and malignant intraocular tumors.