DISEASE & MANAGEMENT

Patrick G. Adkins, BCO is the Illinois Eye Institute’s Ocularist/Anaplastologist.
 

The loss of a natural eye, whether by disease or injury, is a very traumatic experience. Initial fears regarding the fitting process can be alleviated with some explanation by the Ocularist.
 

The surgeon usually refers a patient to an Ocularist two to four weeks post-operatively to allow for proper healing. The Ocularist temporarily fits the patient for approximately one week, after which the eye will be re-evaluated for the final custom fit prosthesis. An impression or empirical fitting is performed for the fabricating of a custom-made prosthesis.
 

Adjustments to the ocular prosthesis may need to be made over the course of one to three months and regular health visits must be done on a routine basis (every one to six months).
 

Some patients may need a scleral shell, a device that fits over a patient’s own eye, covering a disfigurement.
 

It may be necessary to remove the prosthesis due to deposits that build up on the surface. The frequency of removal depends on the patient’s eye health and is usually between two to three months but may be different for each patient.