Surgical outcomes of unwrapped acrylic orbital implants: A review of 192 patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report the results in a series of acrylic orbital implant placements without the use of wrapping material.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of the patients who underwent enucleation with acrylic orbital implant insertion without scleral wrapping at the Department of Ophthalmology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland, between 2013 and 2020.

RESULTS: There were 192 patients: 102 women and 90 men, mean age: 60 years (range: 13-90 years). In the majority of cases, the reason for enucleation was uveal melanoma (148 patients-77.1%), followed by secondary glaucoma in 22 patients (11.5%) and painful, phthisical eye in 16 (8.3%). The median follow-up was 23 months (range: 1-96 months). The stability of the implants was satisfactory in the majority of cases, and there were no cases of implant migration identified during the study period. We noted a total of 4 (2%) implant exposures. Other postoperative complaints included eyelid malposition-21 patients (11%), Tenon's capsule thinning (15 patients-7.8%) and post-enucleation eye socket syndrome (PEES)-7 patients (3.6%). The rate of postoperative complications was associated only with a history of previous ocular surgery (P=0.006).

CONCLUSIONS: The stability and functional outcomes of unwrapped acrylic orbital implants in this group of patients were satisfactory during the follow-up period.