Polishing of your Artificial Eye is important.
It’s a relatively quick procedure which should be carried out fairly regularly. Between 6 and 12 months is about right for most patients. Polishing is not just about keeping a high shine on your prosthetic it’s all about comfort – and comfort is all about the blink!
Blinking is the movement (generally of your top eyelid) up and down over the front of your artificial eye. Blinking produces a tear flow which wets the front of the eye and wipes it clean and a bit like a car windscreen wiper; it pushes debris away clearing the surface.
After awhile a build-up of protein will start to form on your artificial eye and can cause anything from general irritation to, at the extreme end, conjunctivitis-like symptoms. You won’t really be able to see the protein, but slowly you will begin to feel it and your blink will not be quite as smooth as it was originally. That’s where polishing comes in.
Polishing removes the micro-thin layer of protein and restores your blink to normal, and – a bit like brushing your teeth – you can really feel the difference afterwards.
