There are some conditions of the eyes which allow people to retain vision, however some eyes may appear distorted and/or have blemishes. With strategic non-surgical procedures, an ocularist will be able to properly accommodate ocular prosthetic pieces which will help maintain their vision with an incredibly enhanced appearance. A scleral shell with optics is able to accentuate the intricate fitting design of the prosthetic eye with vision and provide comfortable range of motion, again without patients having to endure surgical interventions.
A scleral shell prosthesis is a wafer thin artificial eye designed to be worn over the entire surface of a discolored and/or disfigured eye, restoring its natural appearance. Esthetic Eyes not only treats blemished or discolored eyes with scleral shell optics, but also treats individuals with conditions such as congenital Anophthalmia or Microphthalmia. At Esthetic Eyes, working with a variety of patients with ocular birth defects, there have been some very interesting cases where a child’s vision is possible with these issues, with proven success…
A little over 20 years ago we had a young patient of ours living out of the country, who had congenital microphthalmia, and had been treated in our office since infancy for comprehensive prosthetic eye service. Her eye and facial bones were very underdeveloped at birth. Rehabilitative lid and socket therapy (non-surgical approach) gently stimulated bony orbital growth and soft tissue realignment. We were able to place a clear tissue expander, optically clear, that would magnify light and intuit the possibility of vision. We used a different tactic through the pupil channel for her. The clear piece was then sent to Europe to have optics ground in… Upon placing the prosthetics in finally, we watched her look up towards the ceiling light, with both eyes completely fixated on these lights, and with this reaction we were convinced of the child’s vision!
For children, it is especially significant for them to fixate the muscles in both eyes in order for ocular muscle balance. In this rare case, we protected our patient’s ability/potential to have better vision, even though up to a certain age it is difficult to communicate with a young child and assess what they are really seeing. Throughout the years, as this young patient was treated with our rehabilitative prosthetic approach, she was able to confidently grow with the prosthetic eye which provided a continuous level of comfort, vision and overall appearance, enough so to truly excel in her every day life, including winning a professional championship in tennis and pursue a career as an International Banker!
Despite the wide variety of conditions or imperfections of the eyes, we are confident in our ability to create naturally moving and beautifully enhanced ocular prosthetics to enrich vision. Treating our patients with both rare and common ocular conditions, we provide patients with the confidence and ability to seize opportunities, achieve great heights….and thrive!
