A world first, fully digital 3D printed prosthetic eye has potential to reduce waiting lists and make a positive psychological difference to the lives of patients.
On 25 November 2021, Steve Verze, a patient of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (United Kingdom), became the first person in the world to be supplied solely with a fully digital 3D printed prosthetic eye. He first tried his eye on 11 November alongside a traditional acrylic prosthetic.
A 3D printed eye is a true biomimic and a more realistic prosthetic, with clearer definition and real depth to the pupil. Unlike traditional methods, it uses scans of the eye instead of an invasive mould of the eye socket.
Crucially, the production process is much faster. Traditional acrylic prosthetic eyes are hand-painted and take about six weeks to complete. With 3D printing, once a scan has been taken, the prosthesis can be printed within two and a half hours. It is then sent to an ocularist to finish, polish and fit. The whole process takes just two to three weeks.
“We are excited about the potential for this fully digital prosthetic eye,” said Professor Mandeep Sagoo, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. “We hope the forthcoming clinical trial will provide us with robust evidence about the value of this new technology, showing what a difference it makes for patients. It clearly has the potential to reduce waiting lists.”
