Modern artificial eyes are made from arcylic plastic. They are comfortable to wear, easy to handle and are very durable. There are two types of artificial eye available in Scotland from our clinics, the “Moulded” prosthesis and the “Cosmetic Shell”.
The Custom-Made Moulded Prosthesis
The most common type of artificial eye is the Moulded Prosthesis, that is an eye that is produced individually and specifically for you, based on an impression taken from your socket.
Video Transcript
This video has no soundtrack. It shows a typical moulded prosthetic eye.
A mould eye will be unique to you and provide the closest possible match to your real eye. Movement is transferred to the moulded artificial eye due to the close fit. As the muscles move beneath the surface of the socket so friction with the artificial eye provides the motion. It is also possible with a mould eye to alter the aperture and the contour of your eyelids.
The mould eye combines the best achievable fit of an artificial eye, with the most natural lifelike appearance – the definitive prosthesis.
The Cosmetic Shell
The other type of ocular prosthetic available at the clinic is the Cosmetic Shell. This type of eye is of a thinner construction and worn over an existing eye (that has some degree of shrinkage and desensitisation) disguising any disfigurement.
Video Transcript
This video has no soundtrack. It shows a typical cosmetic shell type prosthetic eye.
This type of artificial eye completely covers an existing eye and key to its success is toleration. If a person still retains feeling in the eye it may well be that they will be unable to wear a cosmetic shell. In an ideal situation the eye being covered will have shrunken somewhat allowing space in depth for the added shell and have a marked decrease in sensation. A normal target time for wearing this type of eye would be periods of twelve hours.
With this type of prosthetic the person should always remove their eye through the night. As the shell covers the eye, removal will reduce the risk of any ulceration. Removal will also allow the eye time to “breathe”. This is important as failure to do this in the long term will slowly starve the underlying eye of oxygen and lead to shrinkage.
