[Enucleation yesterday and today (author's transl)].

From 1963 to 1973 379 eyes were removed surgically. This represents a constant ratio during this eleven year-period of 2.1% of the in-patients and 2.3% of the patients treated surgically. Mostly elderly patients were affected, men more often than women. The ultimate reason for enucleation was uncontrollable pain in most of the cases. The most frequent cause for the loss of the eye were penetrating injuries (31.1%) and intraocular tumors (30.6%). Histology was done in 83.6% of the cases. Amongst 116 eyes enucleated for intraocular tumors or suspicion of tumor-growth no tumor was seen microscopically in seven cases. In 7 out of 118 eyes (5.1%) encleated for glaucoma absolutum a malignant tumor was found.