PURPOSE: To evaluate psychological disturbances caused by acquired unilateral anophthalmia, the struggle for aesthetic recuperation on use of the ocular prosthesis, as well as involved interpersonal factors and psychosocial reintegration of these patients. METHOD: Thirty (30) patients with acquired unilateral anophthalmia without any other deformities in the orbital region and users of ocular prosthesis (16 males, 14 females) aged between 12 and 66 years, mean age 31.6 years, were submitted to an ophthalmic examination and psychological evaluation through a standardized questionnaire focusing on 66 questions lasting two hours in the period from January, 2000 to March, 2001. RESULT: The highest incidence of acquired anophthalmia (47%) was in the age ranging from 0 to 6 years old. Seventy (70)% of the patients are in the process of elaboration of their loss (n=21). The most used mechanisms of defense in the current situation were rationalization, repression, denial and displacement. Thirty (30)% accept the present situation. After the triggering event (TE) 36% manifested a depressive state 64% of whom got over the symptoms of depression. Sixty percent (60%) adapted the ocular prosthesis right after the surgical treatment while 40% adapted it two or more years after the TE. Aesthetically 70% are satisfied while 30% are unsatisfied. Fifty-three (53)% show low self-steem, 37% distorted self-image. CONCLUSION: An integration among various elements of the multidisciplinary team made up of surgeons, ocularists, psychologists and support from family and friends is fundamental during the whole process of mourning due to the loss. A positive attitude towards the person dealing with the issue minimizes the loss in all of its aspects, offering recovery of interpersonal aspects and psychosocial reintegration as he/she is given adequate resources to become more secure. The prosthesis has two functions: on the one hand it returns to the patient self-image and self-steem allowing his/her exposure without discrimination, which allows his psychosocial reintegration. On the other hand it becomes an instrument, which removes the possibility of the loss to be lived in its totality, which contributes to behavior of repression of the patients instead of acceptance of the new reality - mainly when the prosthesis is adapted after the TE. There is no direct relationship between the obtained aesthetic result and the degree of satisfaction of the patients. Prejudice is another important factor because it may interfere or not in the rehabilitation.
Eye, artificial; Orbital implants; Anophthalmos; Eye enucleation; Prejudice; Adult; Adolescent; Male; Female
