Reconstruction of the constricted orbital cavity in patients with artificial anophthalmy.

In cases, in which not only the globe of the eye, but the whole conjunctival sack is missing and the eyelids are due to scarring attached either to the orbital tissues and/or to each other, it is not possible to insert a prosthesis. This is a major aesthetic defect. The cavity that allows artificial eye insertion can be formed by surgery. One of the best methods is the orbital cavity reconstruction developed and suggested by the Hungarian István Csapody. He constructed two instruments to perform the operation: a butterfly shaped marker to prepare skin graft with proper size and shape, and an adjustable cone formed spacer to keep the reconstructed socket open during the healing process. We use free autologous split skin graft to line the cavity. If the shapes of the eyelids are intact, and the color of the prosthesis matches the fellow eye and it fits perfectly, then the postoperative cosmetic result can be excellent.