In certain cases of traumatic eye injury, eye cancer, or other congenital conditions of the eye, it may be necessary to surgically remove the eye. In these instances, a custom-made prosthetic eye may be used to provide a person with a more natural appearance. Artificial eyes are matched in size and color to the remaining natural eye in such detail that it's often difficult for others to notice that a person is "wearing" an artificial eye.
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics offers an ocular prosthetics service for patients facing these circumstances. A certified ocularist skilled in the fabrication and fitting of artificial eyes is available to assist patients in need of a prosthetic eye. Our ocularist demonstrates how to handle and care for artificial eyes, and provides long-term care for patients through periodic examinations.
Creating a Prosthetic Eye
The process involves:
- Taking an impression of the eye socket
- Creating a mold around that impression
- Creating the acrylic prosthetic eye from that mold
- Painting and polishing the prosthetic
- Fine tuning it to make it look as close to the patient’s other eye as possible
- Final polishing
