Today I will be presenting to you another field which is recognized under the scope & field of prosthetics.
The earliest prosthetic eye’s stem from a 2006 discovery in Iran. An eye was found with a skull. The eye was engraved gold and had a thread strung through it. It was patterned with the image of a sun. It was estimated to be approximately almost 5000 years old.
Modern prosthetic eyes were developed by German glass makers in the venetian era. The eyes were made of blown glass and were made in a one size fits all order. The glass-makers were very secretive about their work, and their techniques were a tightly held secret . The eye-makers travelled around making stops at different cities. They set up shop for a few days, made some eyes, then moved on to another town.
Modern acrylic eyes were developed during the first world war. Army denturists were recruited to develop prosthetic eyes for the returning wounded. The denturists used dental acrylic to develop the first American-made ocular prosthetics. High quality optical acrylic is used to make the body & shape of the eye. Acrylic works best as it is very durable. It is very hard to break and retains its shine much longer. It can also be easily clean and polished over and again.
Acrylic eyes are custom made for each individual. They are impression fitted to match the exact proportions of the remaining eye socket. The acrylic eye can be adjusted for improved fit. Some ocular prosthetics have a titanium peg that joins with a magnetic implant that was surgically inserted into the remaing globe. This allows for great movement.
There are many reasons for an eye to be removed. Most people lose their eye’s due to various cancers that can hit at any age. For example, retinoblastoma generally hits children at a young age, which in turn causes much trauma to the parents having to make the decision of having their childs eye permanently removed. Many also lose their eye as a result of trauma to the eye or surrounding anatomy Glaucoma is also another leading cause of eye removal
There are different levels of surgical eye removal. A person generally recovers quite quickly after the surgeries, with the exception being following an exteneration, which is much more invasive than an evisceration or enucleation.
A plastic conformer is placed in the eye socket following surgery. It is used to keep the shape of the socket, and to prevent swelling from closing the eye completely. An ocularist takes an impression of the eye using alginate. This gives the ocularist an identical negative of the socket, and will serve as the foundation for the final prosthetic.
The impression is then placed in a mold and ocular plaster is poured in. This created a plaster replica of the socket. Acrylic dough is then inserted into the cured plaster socket and is placed in a high pressure curing unit.
The acrylic mold is then cooled and removed from the curing unit. The resulting mold is called the fitting shape. It is then inserted into the socket and is marked to note to direction of the iris. A plastic peg is attached to mark the direction of the iris. The edges are built up to allow for some movement during the fitting.
Another plaster mold is made to reflect the fitting shape. This final mold will be used to cast the definitive prosthetic eye. The iris is designed of a plastic disc and is painted to match the patients remaining eye, or any other design that the patient wants. The ocularist paints the eye using high-quality oil-based paints. The patient is usually present during the painting of the iris. Some ocularists are now starting to use high-quality digital images instead of having the patient present. After the iris is painted, an acrylic cornea is glued onto the iris.
The iris is then trimmed to match the size of the opposite eye. The replica iris is placed in the plaster mold that was made previously.. It is then cover with coloured acrylic dough and cured in a high-pressure unit once again.
The cured eye is removed from the curing unit and is then shaped to the proper proportions. Extra acrylic along with the iris peg is trimmed. It is measured to ensure proper fit. The acrylic dough has buried the iris, and so need to be ground to allow the iris to show through. Extra definition is added by hand using coloured pencils. The patient name or initials are also added to the back opf the eye for easy identification. An acrylic resin is painted on to seal the pencil illustrations
To give the impression of a 3D eye, silk threads are laid on the eye. This effectively recreated veins and other blood vessels on the globe of the eye. After ensuring that the created eye matches the original, it is once again sealed with acrylic resin. The finished eye is now polished on a buffing wheel. This gives the eye a natural-looking shine.
Every eye is different. An Ocularist will never come across two eyes that are alike. There are nearly unlimited options for the colour, shape, and definitions of a hand-made eye. Designs aren’t even limited to recreating the image of a true eye. Many people choose to have a different design painted onto their prosthetic eye. Pictured on the left is an image of a marine injured in an attack in 2004 chose to have the logo of the US Marine Corp placed on the eye using engraved gold flake. He is currently stationed in Afghanistan after being cleared for another tour of duty.
Becoming an Ocularist is a long and arduous process. To join the American Society of Ocularists you need to complete the Ocularist Apprenticeship Program. This requires study in all aspects of ocular prosthetics. It also requires about 5 years, or 10,000 hours of practical training with a registered ocularist. The student must also successfully complete 750 credits of study courses offered by the Education Program of the ASO After completing all of the requirements of the program, a Diplomate of the American Society of Ocularists is awarded.
The Education program of the ASO covers a whole host of different information. It ranges from fitting and fabricating to office management. Information on the average salary for an Ocularist could not be found.
Improving the quality of prosthetic glass eyes Journal Biomedical Engineering Publisher Springer New York ISSN 0006-3398 (Print) 1573-8256 (Online) Issue Volume 13, Number 6 / November, 1979
![Early False Eyes ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)