Frequently
Asked Questions
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Q.
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What is artificial eyes or ocular prosthesis? |
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A.
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It's an object made up of plastic that is fitted in the
eye socket over the shrunken eyeball or absent eyeball
to help the damaged eye resemble normal eye in appearance. |
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Q.
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Is it possible to see with artificial eye? |
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A.
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This is a frequently asked question; of course the answer
is 'NO'. The purpose of artificial eye is to make the
damaged eye 'look like' normal eye thereby restoring the
normal appearance of the face. However there are 'Bionic
Eyes' being developed by various groups that are based
on computer based chips mounted on spectacles and the
images are processed by software before sending to the
brain. Most of these are still experimental and wide commercial
use has not started. |
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Q.
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Is it possible to have 'seeing eye ' transplanted after
removing the damaged eye? |
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A.
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No, the eyes that are donated are not used as eyeballs,
rather only the transparent part of the donated eye called
'Cornea' is transplanted in patients having corneal opacity
in an otherwise normal eye. |
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Q.
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Will
my artificial eye have movements like normal eye? |
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A.
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The movements in your artificial eye depend on several
factors. The motility present in the front surface of
socket is an important determinant, presence of fornices
and motility coupling post over the Biointegrated implant
also play important role in imparting movement to the
ocular prosthesis. |
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Q.
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Can I wear artificial eye continuously? |
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A.
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Artificial eyes can be worn continuously if they have
been made after taking the impression of the eye socket
(Custom artificial eyes). The readymade or stock artificial
eyes available in the shops should not be worn continuously
because of discharge collection behind the artificial
eye that causes inflammation and socket contraction in
long run. This socket contraction may need surgical correction
on a later date to fit an ocular prosthesis. |
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Q.
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What precautions should I take to safeguard my normal
eye? |
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A.
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Protective spectacle made up of Polycarbonate is a must
for all one eyed patients. In fact anybody working in
the high-risk area of trauma must wear this protective
glasses. These polycarbonate lenses don't shatter under
any impact and thereby protect the normal eye unlike Glass
lenses that may shatter and damage the eye. Annual check
up of the normal eye by an Ophthalmologist should also
be done religiously to identify any early sign of disease
that may not be noticed by the patient. |
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Q.
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How much resemblance the artificial eyes have compared
to the normal eye? |
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A.
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Artificial
eyes can have excellent resemblance to the normal eye
provided certain pre-requisites are met. Please refer
to the section of
Pre-requisites
for Optimal outcome with artificial eyes.
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Q.
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How often I will have to remove my prosthesis for cleaning? |
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A.
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There
is no 'one fixed answer' for all users. The tolerance
of socket tissue to prosthesis will vary individually
and health of ocular adnexa will also decide how long
one can wear prosthesis continuously before cleaning.
Usually this can be worn for a couple of weeks before
removal for cleaning. However there are patients who wear
it for months without any problem and there are people
who need to remove and clean every couple of days. Very
rarely one may have to remove and clean it every day if
the tissue tolerance is sub optimal and ocular adnexa
is not healthy |
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Q.
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Is
it possible to use the 'donated eye' to replace the damaged
eye? |
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A.
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This is another
very commonly asked question. The eyeball as such cannot
be transplanted as of today anywhere in the world. Only
the transparent front portion of the eye (Cornea) is used
for restoring sight in an individual with corneal opacity
and otherwise normal eye. |
