Your Ocular Prosthesis

Your ocular prosthesis was custom made especially for you. It was designed to fit your eye exactly. Its shape was adjusted millimeter by millimeter to shape your eyelids and tissues around your eye, giving you the most restored appearance possible. The hand painting, done in your presence, is essentially a realistic portrait of your natural eye. Your prosthesis is made of a very fine acrylic which allows for meticulous painting techniques and precision shaping.

In addition to the cosmetic restoration that the prosthesis provides, there are also medical reasons why a custom-fit ocular prosthesis is important. Without it, eyelids tend to shrink and turn in, eventually coming into contact with and irritating the sensitive linings underneath. Also, tear glands, designed to wash the eyes, have nothing to work on. Moisture then pools in the socket where it can lead to problems. Wearing a premade or "stock" eye, which isn't custom made, can cause continual pain and irritation to the eye socket which can lead to medical complications and eventually, infection and disease.

It is important to realize that as realistic as your prosthesis appears, it does not replace your natural eye in terms of function. It will not move as well as your natural eye, is not permanently attached to your body, and will not provide you with vision in that eye.

Technology in the 1940s brought us the modern acrylic eye. Before the advent of acrylic prostheses, glass prostheses were widely used. Glass eyes were difficult to shape, and disallowed fine adjustments in shaping while the prosthesis was being fabricated. Also, glass eyes were fragile and could shatter, unlike acrylic which is tough enough to resist breakage if dropped. Your acrylic prosthesis has a much more comfortable and realistic appearance, and can last many years with proper care.