3D-printed ocular prosthesis first implanted in humans

Moorfields Eye Clinic in London announced that she performed the world's first human eye transplant using 3D printing. The patient is Steve Verse, a 47-year-old engineer.

Doctors have successfully transplanted Verza's left eye. It is actually the first fully digital prosthetic eye designed for the patient, which looks more realistic than traditional prostheses.

In addition, the use of 3D printing makes the procedure more portable for the patient. When creating a traditional prosthesis, an invasive orbital impression must be taken, whereas when using 3D technology, the eye socket is scanned digitally.

Most importantly, the production process is much faster, the clinic emphasizes. Traditional acrylic eye prostheses are hand painted and take about six weeks to make. With 3D printing, after scanning, the prosthesis can be printed in two and a half hours.

Then the digital prosthesis is sent to an ophthalmologist for finishing, polishing and installation. The whole process takes only two to three weeks. Of course, such a prosthesis does not restore vision, but it looks much better than other options. Thanks to this, at least psychologically, the patient feels better.

A source: moorfields, cnn

Illustrations: moorfields