Lived Experiences of Patients from Eye Enucleation: A phenomenological study from the West of Iran

Introduction Eye enucleation is an extremely stressful experience that depends on the context. However, there is a lack of information regarding the experiences of patients who have undergone eye enucleation in the western region of Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the lived experiences of patients who underwent eye enucleation in Kermanshah. Methods In this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study, data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews. The sample included 13 patients who had undergone eye enucleation at the ophthalmology department of the educational hospital of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and were discharged. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method, and MAXQDA 10 software was used for data management. To enhance the credibility of the findings, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria were applied. The COREQ checklist was used to report the study. Findings Participants' experiences were categorized into four main themes and 10 subthemes, and 200 codes. In this study, four main themes included:: " Denial," "Catastrophic," "Adaptation," and "Ambivalence ," along with 10 sub-themes . Conclusion The results indicate that the experience of eye enucleation is highly stressful and comes with numerous challenges and stressors. All patients can take solace in the finding that strong initial negative emotions decrease over time, while positive emotions increase. Psychological intervention and support should be provided in the early stages after eye loss to address specific concerns about appearance, mucous discharge, and acquired monocular vision