The aim of this study is to review the 8-year experience with orbital exenteration, determining the indications, clinical features of patients and the factors that cause the need for exenteration.

In a retrospective study, records of all patients’ that underwent exentration of the orbit between years 2007 to 2015 at the Farabi Teaching Eye Hospital were reviewed. Correspondingly, records of pathology were also searched for the same cases to confirm the pre-operation diagnosis in the charts. Age, sex, location of tumor, primary presentation and visual acuity, past history of chemoradiotherapy, duration of symptoms, histopathological diagnosis, and previous recurrences were noted.

Orbital exenteration was performed on 61 eyes of 61 patients (31 males and 30 females). Age ranged from 2 years to 110 years. The indication of exenteration were management of neoplastic tumors in all the cases, either benign or malignant. Histopathological classifications of the neoplasm were small cell carcinoma (16 cases), basal cell carcinoma (10 cases) basosquamous carcinoma (9 cases), sebaceous carcinoma (5 cases), malignant melanoma epithelioma (11 cases), adenoid cyst carcinoma (3 case), hemangioendothelioma (1 case), malignant epithelioid mucoepithelioid (1 case), pleomorphic carcinoma (1 case), retinoblastoma (1 case), embroynal rhabdomyosarcoma (1 case), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (1 case) and yolk sac tumor (1 case).

Most the patients that underwent exenteration had a history of previous unsuccessful treatment and a long duration of disease. Because exenteration of the orbit is a disfiguring procedure, the incidence must be reduced by early presentation, prompt treatment, and adequate observation to preserve the orbital structures.