International Journal of Clinical Case Reports 2016, Vol.6, No.17, 1-6
1
Case Report Open Access
Simulating Natural Eye by Customized Eye Prosthesis Using Digital Photograph
Amruta P. Jankar
1
, Swaroop Kumar Magar
1
, Anil Kumar
1
, Amrita Pandita
1
, Abhishek Singh Nayyar
2
1 Department of Prosthodontics and Crown and Bridge, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental College and Hospital and Post-Graduate Research Institute, Parbhani,
Maharashtra, India
2 Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Saraswati Dhanwantari Dental College and Hospital and Post-Graduate Research Institute, Parbhani,
Maharashtra, India
Corresponding author email
International Journal of Clinical Case Reports 2016, Vol.6, No.17 doi
Received: 25 May, 2016
Accepted: 01 Aug., 2016
Published: 17 Aug., 2016
Copyright © 2016 Amruta et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article:
Amruta P.J., Swaroop K.M., Anil K., Amrita P., and Abhishek S.N., 2016, Simulating natural eye by customized eye prosthesis using digital photograph: A
Case Report, International Journal of Clinical Case Report, 6(17): 1-6 (doi
Abstract:
Eye is a vital organ; important for vision and also, an important component of facial expression. The unfortunate loss or
absence of an eye, apart from leading to impaired vision, has a crippling effect on overall appearance of the face and psychology of
the patient. Replacement of the lost eye, in such cases, becomes important to promote the physical and psychological healing of the
patient apart from improving social acceptance. Prosthodontic rehabilitation of missing eye includes fabrication of prosthesis by
acrylic resin, silicone and implants. However, a custom-made ocular prosthesis serves as an affordable and satisfactory alternative to
the Implants. In this case, we fabricated a custom-made ocular prosthesis, made up of heat cure acrylic sclera. A patient’s iris
photograph of adjacent eye was pasted on sclera. It was then covered with self-cure, clear acrylic resin for translucency and best
shine giving the live eye effect. Heat cure acrylic resin is the best material for making sclera blanks. Patent’s iris photograph gives the
effect of natural looking iris. The self-cure clear acrylic offers translucency and 3-D effect with best shine. The technique is very
simple, easily adaptable and gives the prosthesis with superior esthetics than stock eyes. This case report describes a novel technique
for fabricating a predictable, esthetic, well-fitting and comfortable, custom-made, ocular prosthesis in an attempt to avoid costly and
time consuming procedures.
Keywords
Custom-made; Ocular prosthesis; Eye prosthesis; Acrylic eye
1 Introduction
Eyes are the first feature of the face to be noticed and are vital organs for vision. The unfortunate loss or absence
of an eye may be caused by a congenital defect, pathology or trauma to eye and sometimes, iatrogenic removal of
eye secondary to some pathoses or, trauma to the tissues in and around the eye, too, may necessitate surgical
intervention resulting in the removal of the eye (Artopoulou et al., 2006). Loss or absence of an eye not only
causes loss of sensory function but also, s significant cosmetic disfigurement which gives unaesthetic look and has
a psychological effect on the patient (Lubkin and Sloan, 1990). Thus, in such cases, prosthesis becomes
mandatory to raise the spirits and ease the mind of the afflicted individuals. A multidisciplinary management and
team approach are essential in providing an accurate and effective rehabilitation and follow-up care for the patient
(Brown, 1970). Therefore, the combined efforts of the ophthalmologist, the plastic surgeon and the maxillofacial
prosthodontist are essential to restore the patient’s quality of life. The prosthodontist can manage the aesthetics
related to the lost eye by replacing it with different maxillofacial materials.
2 Review of Literature
The fabrication of eyes is not limited to the modern age. They have been used for centuries, with the earliest
known examples found in mummies dating back to the fourth dynasty in Egypt (1613-2494 BC) when eye
replacement used to happen by using precious stones, earthenware, enameled bronze, copper and gold in the
shrunken sockets. Ambrose Pare, a French Dentist of the 16th century is considered as the pioneer of modern
artificial eyes. He used glass and porcelain to fabricate artificial eyes (Allen and Webster, 1969). Glass remained
the most popular material until the advent of World War II, when it was difficult to obtain glass or glass eyes from
Germany. Later, methyl methacrylate, which had replaced vulcanite as denture base material, seemed to be a good
