Frequently Asked Questions

  • Artificial eyes, also called ocular prostheses or prosthetic eyes, are designed to replace a missing eye. Each prosthesis is carefully crafted to match the colour, shape, and size of your natural eye, creating a balanced and natural appearance. Restoring the appearance of your eye, assists in regaining confidence and is an essential part to healing after surgery.

    Beyond aesthetics, a prosthetic eye helps support the eyelids and surrounding tissues, protects the eye socket, and contributes to overall comfort. Wearing an artificial eye is not only cosmetic.

  • Scleral shells, also called scleral lenses or scleral prosthesis, are a type of artificial eye. They are worn over a cosmetically blemished, non-seeing eye. The shell covers the entire visible portion of the damaged or small eye.

    They are made the same way as an Artificial eye, however, are generally quite thin and sometimes require more specialised care due to the sensitivity of wearing an artificial eye on top of a living eye.

  • A conformer is a small oval-shaped piece of plastic that is often inserted after an eye removal surgery. It is there to protect the sutures and help to maintain the grooves behind your eyelids to assist in a stable prosthesis fitting.

    We encourage patients to wear their conformer until their first visit with us. If your conformer falls out, you can sit it in boiling water to disinfect it before putting it back in. * See Patient Resources page for instructions on how to reinsert your prosthesis (or conformer).

  • Every person’s socket and tissue structure are different, so movement varies from person to person. Reason for eye loss, and the age the eye is removed will affect how much movement there will be. The Ocularist cannot create movement, rather transfer movement t(hat already exists in the socket) from the surgical implant to the prosthetic eye. The way we achieve this is by taking an impression of the eye socket to create a snug and comfortable fit.

    Though desirable, having full movement of the artificial eye when looking to the extremes is not possible. What we call conversational movement is more important. A quick response on a small angle is what is assists the artificial eye to appear lifelike. When you want to focus, especially on something on your prosthesis side, you will automatically turn your head.

  • No, an ocular prosthesis does not restore vision. It is a device designed to match the appearance of your natural eye and support the surrounding tissues. While it cannot provide sight, it plays an important role in maintaining facial symmetry, supporting eyelid function, and promoting confidence and emotional wellbeing. It will also reduce the risk of infections in the eye socket.

  • We like to see new patients approximately 7 weeks following surgery for their first appointment. Please contact us as soon as you have a date booked for surgery to ensure that we can see you in a timely manner.

    There are three appointments required to make your appointment. The final fitting being about 1 week after your first visit.

  • Yes, follow-up appointments are an important part of caring for your artificial eye. Regular reviews (typically every 12 months) are recommended to:

    ·       Assess the fit of the prosthesis

    ·       Check the health of your eye socket and eyelids

    ·       Clean the prosthesis of any protein deposits

    ·       Polish the surface to restore its original lustre

    These appointments help ensure long-term comfort and the best possible cosmetic result. For children, more frequent reviews are needed to keep up with growth and development.

  • Instructions on how to clean your prosthesis can be found on our Patient Resources page. You will also find instructions on how to remove and reinsert your prosthesis.

  • Yes, artificial eyes generally need to be replaced every 3 to 5 years. Over time, changes in the eye socket, eyelids and surrounding tissues as well as the appearance of the companion eye can affect how well the prosthesis fits and appears.

    A few signs that may indicate changes to the fitting of your artificial eye include; increased discharge, feeling there is more “room”, seeing gaps in the nose corner or it has become unstable or is falling out.

  • When a child is born with a small eye microphthalmia or no eye anophthalmia, early intervention and ongoing care are essential to promote proper socket and eyelid development and ensure the best possible cosmetic outcome as the child grows.

    Expansion therapy requires gentle and gradual increase in the size of the prosthesis - starting as early as possible. At times we are replacing these shapes (expansion conformers) every few weeks, before growth stabilizes, later requiring less frequent visits (every few months).

    If you’re considering this for your child, seeing a qualified ocularist as early as possible is the best next step.

  • Yes, in many cases of a blind and damaged eye, a scleral shell (see question 2) can be worn comfortably without requiring any surgery. In most cases, the blind eye will have shrunken, allowing room for a scleral shell to sit on top of the eye.

    Your ocularist will assess the size, sensitivity, and condition of your eye to determine if this is the right option for you. If there is ongoing pain or infection, surgery may be considered, but this is not always necessary.

    By trialling a Scleral Shell, you will get an idea of what wearing an Artificial Eye is like and this may help to decide if surgery is your best option.

  • No, an Ocularist or Ocular Prosthetist is not a doctor. We are specialised in the fitting and fabrication of Artificial Eye Prostheses and Scleral Shell Prostheses. While we can alert you to any changes or peculiarities of your eye socket, we suggest to all our clients to see their Ophthalmologist or Optometrist annually to check the health of their eye socket and their companion eye.