AIMS—To assess the effectiveness of enucleation or evisceration in relieving pain from painful blind eyes. METHODS—24 patients with intractable ocular pain underwent enucleation or evisceration with or without an orbital implant. RESULTS—Complete pain relief was achieved in all patients at an average time of 3 months (range 1-15 months). Seven patients required further medical or surgical treatment in addition to removal of the globe. CONCLUSION—Enucleation and evisceration were effective in relieving ocular pain in all patients with a painful blind eye in our study. However, complications of surgery and orbital implants can cause recurrent pain.
