International Journal of Clinical Case Reports 2016, Vol.6, No.17, 1-6
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replacement material. Naval Dental School (1940) tested the use of acrylic resin in fabricating a custom-made
ocular prosthesis. In 1944, by the combined efforts of the individuals of the Armed Forces of the United States,
methyl methacrylate resin was successfully used for the fabrication of the ocular prostheses. Since then, usage of
resin gained popularity because of its light weight, translucency, better fracture resistance, ease of fabrication,
easy adjustability and its capability for intrinsic and extrinsic coloring. Unlike a glass eye, an acrylic eye was easy
to fit and adjust, was unbreakable, inert to ocular fluids, esthetically good, longer-lasting and easier to fabricate.
Today, a vast majority of patients all around the world wear ocular prosthesis made of acrylic resin. Various
methods of rehabilitating an ophthalmic socket include stock eye prosthesis (Pre-fabricated) and custom-made
(Benson, 1977) ocular prosthesis (Murphey and Schlossberg, 1944; Benson, 1977; Dyer, 1980).
3 Case Report
A 35-year old male patient reported to the Department of Prosthodontics and complained of facial disfigurement
due to the loss of left eye. (Figure 1) A history of severe eye infection followed by enucleation was recorded.
Consequent to this, the patient suffered severe emotional trauma in terms of facial aesthetics and social acceptance.
The patient, therefore, was seeking artificial eye replacement. Examination of the orbital socket revealed a healthy
conjunctiva with no signs of infection or inflammation, covering the posterior wall of the an-ophthalmic socket,
showing synchronous movements. Patient was economically compromised, so implant retained prosthesis was not
a choice. To get better aesthetics and color matching without following the conventional pre-fabricated eye shells,
a custom-made acrylic resin based, ocular prosthesis was planned and the treatment procedure was explained to
the patient. As the patient gave consent, the treatment was started.
Figure 1 Pre-op view
3.1 Steps of fabrication
3.1.1 Impression of ocular socket
Petroleum jelly was applied to the surrounding area of eye and eyebrows for easy removal of the impression when
it had set. A thin mix of an irreversible hydrocolloid (Algitex, Dental Products of India, Mumbai, India) was
injected in an-ophthalmic socket using a disposable syringe. After loading in the socket, a loop of 19-gauge
orthodontic wire was used to support and hold the impression (Brown, 1970; Artopoulou et al., 2006). The patient
was asked to move his normal eye in all directions to allow the irreversible hydrocolloid to flow into all areas of
the enucleated socket. Then, the patient was instructed to stare in a straight direction till the material had set. After
the material had set, the assembly was removed and the impression was examined for defects and voids. (Figure 2)
After confirmation of acceptability of the impression; it was poured with dental stone (Type III Dental stone,
Kalstone, Kala Bhai Pvt Ltd., Mumbai, India) by two pour cast technique i.e. in two parts with the second part
being poured after applying lubricant and making orientation grooves on the partially set first half. The master
