An Australian recently made history as the first person to be inserted into an artificial eye obtained thanks to 3D printing technology. Moordfields Eye Hospital, where the operation was performed, was reported in a press release.
The patient who had the surgery performed by specialists from a London medical facility was Stephen Firzi. An IT engineer from Melbourne sustained a severe eye injury when he was seven years old. Fourteen years later, the Australian has completely lost the ability to see in the affected eye.
“Then I realized it was time to get an artificial eye,” Vera recalls. At that time, the procedure for introducing an artificial eye was a relatively new concept, although the man already felt that new technologies would contribute to the development of prosthetics.
While the time required to create a hand-painted acrylic prosthetic eye is six weeks, a 3D printer is able to create such a prosthetic in just two and a half hours. In the next step, he is sent to an ophthalmologist – a person who specializes in developing and customizing eye prostheses. The work on the personalization of a particular prosthesis takes from two to three weeks.
This means that 3D printing technology significantly reduces the waiting time for patients to receive an artificial eye.
seize the opportunity
I had surgery to insert a prosthesis into Stephen Firzi’s eye socket at London Moorfields Eye Hospital in November 2021 – then I had a unique opportunity. It was one of those moments when I was in the right place at the right time – confirms the Australian.
Verze remembers the day he went for a routine denture upgrade that takes place every ten years. Then the man met a group of prosthetics who had been experimenting with 3D printing technology in eye prosthetics.
– I then decided to take the opportunity to participate in research related to this field. As a science fellow, I was very interested in the processes and technology that was the subject of my research. I tried to help the research team as much as possible – the Australian points out.
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The man asserts that he is not afraid to insert a new prosthetic eye. For the past 25 years, I have lived with an eye prosthesis. He adds that the most difficult period has been behind me for a long time.
According to Verze, the procedure itself was “painless.”
Moorfields Eye Hospital representatives confirm this The eye created with a 3D printer looks much more realistic than the prosthetics used so far. The clinic described the eye inserted into Stephen Vera as “truly biomimetic,” emphasizing the realistic depth of the artificial pupil.
“The way the light hits Steve’s prosthetic eye is more natural,” a clinic representative said in an interview with Insider.
Vera said the procedure was “relatively painless”.
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Moorfields Eye Hospital
shorter lines
The process of producing the prosthetic eye on a 3D printer begins with scanning the patient’s eye. In the next step, a special program uses the data obtained to develop a 3D model of the orbit, which will be used by a 3D printer.
Verze never assumed he would be involved in research related to developing new technology. One of the basic principles of prosthetics is to hide defects as much as possible. Being able to go out to people and tell them I have an artificial eye has been a huge help for me – he points out.
It’s amazing how much potential new technology offers. Its publication will surely contribute to reducing the queue for people waiting for the prosthetic eye – says the professor. Mandeep Sajo, MD, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
The clinic says that the lifespan of the prosthetic eye made with a 3D printer is five years. This is because the degree of similarity between the artificial eye and the natural eye will decrease as the process of changing the eye continues differently.
Verze hopes that other people will volunteer to conduct this research. As he himself states, participation in the research and the possibility of testing new solutions, was a “very exciting” experience for him.