First patient fitted with 3D printed eye

Steve Verze with 3D prosthetic eye - A patient has been fitted with a cutting-edge 3D printed prosthetic eye for the first time ever, as part of a unique collaboration led by UCL researchers and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 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 is made using digital scans of the eye instead of an invasive mould of the eye socket; a process often so difficult for children they require a general anaesthetic. Along with better aesthetics, the production process is also 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.