Following on from a request from one of our Ocular Prosthesis patients we are putting onto the blog this week some important things to remember when caring for an ocular prosthesis or artificial eye.

Care tips for wearing an Ocular Prosthesis

An Ocular Prosthetic can easily be removed and replaced at any time. However you should only remove it when necessary.

They are held in place by the lower and upper eyelids and fit to the interior of the eye socket. Most patients wear their prosthesis full time, removing only occasionally to clean, while other patients remove their prosthesis at night. Wearing full time is considered the best practice. If you do remove it for any period be sure to store it in water or soft contact lens saline solution. This will keep deposits from drying on the surface of the prosthesis.

Always use clean hands when handling your prosthesis. Check your surroundings to make sure the prosthesis won’t be damaged or lost if it is accidentally dropped. Remove the prosthesis only as necessary to clean or as often as directed. Too much handling can cause irritation to your socket and excess drainage.

To REMOVE an Ocular Prosthesis

1. Open your eyelids with your thumb and forefinger.

2. Place suction cup on the front of the prosthesis by squeezing
handle and releasing once attached to the prosthesis.

3. Look up and depress lower lid with forefinger.

4.Slide prosthesis upward and forward, out of socket.
Or; Look up, depress lower lid with forefinger and swipe towards ear,
dislodging prosthesis. Remove prosthesis with your free hand.

To PLACE an Ocular Prosthesis

1.Attach suction cup to prosthesis, lift upper eyelid
with finger to create an opening.

Without suction cup, hold on to edges of prosthesis with fingers.

2. Gently slide top edge of artificial eye under upper lid into the socket.

3. Release upper lid while holding artificial eye in place.

4. Gently pull down lower lid until eye drops into position behind the lids.

5. Remove suction cup and blink to moisten prosthesis.
Check eye position and adjust if necessary.

Over time, the surface of the prosthesis collects protein and debris. Taking good care of your prosthesis helps to ensure a healthy socket and increase the life of your prosthesis. Some patients find that removing and cleaning their prosthesis every day is necessary, while others are able to wear it for a couple weeks or longer before cleaning.

Cleaning the prosthesis every 2-3 weeks is the best time frame.

Always make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly before handling your ocular prosthesis. Use warm water to rinse and gently scrub the prosthesis, removing built-up pf protein and other debris. Then dry the prosthesis with a soft tissue or clean cloth , polishing very lightly in a circular motion.

Do not clean or soak the prosthesis in any solvents, disinfectants or alcohol. These chemicals can cause irritation to your socket or damage to the prosthesis itself. Saline solution is okay to use as a substitute for water for cleaning, but is not necessary.

A professional polish is the only way to remove the protein attachments and bacterial infiltration which will occur over time. It is recommend to have your prosthesis polished every 6 months. This can also help in ‘freshening up’ the prosthesis in general appearance as well. Please contact Kanti at eyeform today to schedule an appointment if your last polish was over 6 months ago.

We hope that this advice is of use and remember for further professional advice please contact us directly on

020 7487 4267. In addition you can use the contact page of the website and we can also be found on both facebook and twitter.

http://twitter.com/#!/eyeform

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eyeform/235544323142846

Tags: artificial, care, cleaning, eyes, ocular, prosthesis, solutions