False eyes

An artificial eye is really just a shell, concave at the back surface and convex towards the front. On the front of the prosthesis there is a handpainted image of an eye. The art of making these prostheses is highly skilled and done by ocularists.

What is it?

A false eye, made of glass or a certain type of plastic. It is used when a real eye has been removed (tumour in the eye, accident with the eye, a painful eye after eye operations or eye diseases). The eye (which is ball shaped) is replaced by something that takes its place( a ball shaped implant). Other wise the artificial eye would have a sunken, deep set appearance. In front of this ball shaped replacement is made a shell whereupon an eye is painted. This is in fact the real artificial eye or prosthesis.

Who gets it?

Artificial eyes can be worn at any age, but generally it is in adults that it has been necessary to remove an eye. However, since wearing an artificial eye is not uncomfortable, children can also be given one.

The causes

The only cause that can be prevented is an accident. The following are accidents that are common causes for the eye to be removed: hammering on metal without eye protection, using motorised saws without eye protection, bar fights followed by "bottling", car accidents where seatbelts have not been worn when the eyes are "slashed" by broken windscreen.

Improve it!

Movement

It is possible to detect a false eye, generally because it does not move as well as the real eye. However, there are techniques available to correct this, so the false eye moves better.Certain eye replacements can be used that allow a special connection between them and the prosthesis. Whether such a special implant can be used depends very much on individual circumstances.

A sunken appearance of the eyes, may be seen not infrequently. When no orbital implant was inserted at the time of removal of the real eye, this will result in a deep set artificial eye. Even if the prosthesis is rather big, it may not be big enough to correct for this loss of volume.

Over years, the fat behind the false eye may slowly disappear, probably due to "malnourishment" of it.

Correction of this problem is nowadays a relatively easy procedure.

Sunken false eye

Not only may the false eye not be lifeless because of lack of movement, it may also be rather deep set. This will draw more attention to the eye when people look at you. New techniques are available that may improve this sunken appearance dramatically.They do not involve a proper operation of the false eye area anymore.

Droopy eyelids

Droopy upper eyelid is generally a longstanding problem that may develop partly due to ageing, but the repeated removal and insertion of the prosthesis is probably more important. It can also be caused by a ball that is too small, or even the absence of the ball implant completely. The treatment of this problem will therefore have to be personalised.

Dropping false eyes

The constant dropping out of a prosthesis may be starting off with the occasional event, but soon gets rather annoying even when there has not been a particularly abnormal eyelid movement.It may be due to fat in the socket slowly disappearing. The prosthetist will try and correct this by making a bulkier false eye, to prevent a sunken appearance, but at some point it gets so heavy that the lower eyelid cannot support it anymore.The solution may be to fill up the socket, so the prosthesis can be made smaller.

Colour

Colour of the iris and the blood vessels are professionally made by an ocular prosthetist, who has had a dedicated training in fitting personalised prostheses. The eye plastic surgeon cannot improve this for you.