Background/aim: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the reasons for eye evisceration surgeries performed from 2005 to 2013 in our clinic. Materials and methods: The medical records of patients who underwent evisceration surgery over the past 9 years were retrospectively evaluated. Detailed data were reviewed, with a focus on the first precipitating factor for evisceration. Results: Of the 306 patients who underwent evisceration surgery in the studied period, 111 (36.27%) were female (with a mean age of 41.56 ± 21.38 years) and 195 (63.73%) were male (with a mean age of 37.76 ± 21.92 years). The most common cause of evisceration was ocular trauma (184 patients; 60.1%). Male patients experienced significantly more trauma, while glaucoma was more common in female patients. Conclusions: Eye removal is devastating for both patients and their relatives, and its most important and preventable cause is ocular trauma.