PROSTHETIC
CONTACT LENSES
WHAT ARE PROSTHETIC CONTACT LENSES?
Prosthetic contact lenses are contact lenses that use color to mask an eye that is disfigured or to provide treatment for a patient who has symptoms such as light sensitivity and double vision.
A patient may have ocular disfigurement as a result of multiple surgeries, trauma, or congenital conditions. This may cause one eye to look drastically different than the other eye.
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A patient may also have difficulty with light sensitivity and a specially designed prosthetic lens can limit the amount of light into the eye.
Double vision can be treated with prosthetic lenses when all other treatment has failed. Occlusion (covering up one eye's vision) involves a black-centered contact lens that is subtle, as opposed to a frosted glasses lens or eye patch.
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Prosthetic contact lenses can be as simple as a solid color to an advanced hand-painted iris design to look as much as your natural eye as possible.
Prosthetic Lens Applications at In Focus
Before
After
This patient wanted "brighter, whiter eyes" after having eye surgery that left her eyes looking bloodshot. She was interested in a more long-term solution than just using drops. She now wears large-diameter soft contact lenses that are tinted white to minimize the appearance of redness. She can wear these all day long and they incorporate her prescription so she has no need for eyeglasses.
This patient came to us on referral from a well-known glaucoma specialist. They were looking for a solution to their light sensitivity after multiple retinal and glaucoma surgeries left them with a pupil that was unable to constrict. We designed a hand-painted soft contact lens for them that has a black backing and a clear 4.5 mm diameter pupil in the center, greatly improving their light-sensitivity issues.
This patient came to us looking for a prosthetic lens with a natural look to cover their scarred eye. We were able to color-match the natural color of their eye with this hand-painted soft contact lens and we can hardly tell which is which!
We are so excited about this patient’s amazing transformation with a prosthetic scleral lens! He had tried colored prosthetics before but was interested in covering up some of the pigmentation that resulted from scarring on the white part of his eye as well. After going through the process we’ve found the right fit and color match and were able to create a white sclera around the color to cover the discoloration of the white part of the eye.
Our patient is feeling confident with his new soft prosthetic contact lens. This lens was able to disguise the scarring in his right eye after complications from a childhood surgery. We are so happy with the results!
Here is a patient who suffered from extreme light sensitivity due to trauma to the eye. His pupil does not close anymore and remains open. We discussed all options including painted-colored contact lenses to match his eye color. Because his eyes are relatively dark in everyday lighting, he elected for a traditional custom black lens that would block out light and "re-create" a pupil for him.
Our patient suffered from double vision and balance issues after multiple surgical complications. We tried many different remedies, but the only way he found relief was to wear an eye patch over his eye. We designed an occlusion pupil custom prosthetic contact lens for him which he wears to block vision in this eye. This looks better than his eyepatch!
Our patient wanted her eye to look "more normal" after multiple surgeries left her with an abnormally shaped pupil, and one eye that looked slightly smaller than the other. To design a custom prosthetic contact lens, we chose the brown color by taking photos and going into different environments to control for lighting differences. We took scans of the eye to determine the best sizing of the lens. We also took measurements to best match iris diameter and pupil size. Our patient is very happy with her appearance with the lens. This lens can last 1 year with proper care.
This patient suffered from double vision from myasthenia gravis. We tried multiple different glasses prescriptions with prism but the doubling fluctuated and was never consistent given the course of the condition. To alleviate this, we designed an occlusion pupil custom prosthetic contact lens for them which they wear to block vision in this eye. They now report their golf game is better than before and they can function once again!
This patient had many failed corneal transplants which resulted in them having an artificial cornea called a KPRO (keratoprosthesis). This is an extremely delicate eye. Because the artificial cornea has titanium plates, the eye appears blue. This patient ran a company and felt self conscious meeting with clients without his sunglasses because of the difference in appearance between his brown eye and his "blue-appearing" prosthetic eye.
We designed a simple brown prosthetic lens to be worn over their prosthetic cornea. The two eyes looked the same and the patient said it was the most life changing thing he has done in years due to his increase in confidence.
This is our patient who had complications after cataract surgery that left their pupil irregular and pulled to one side. Because of this, they had extreme light sensitivity.
Even though this patient's eyes were brown, when you are away from the eye it is so dark it looks almost black.
We are thankful for this because we were able to use a traditional custom black lens that would block out light and "re-create" the pupil. When looking at the patient from afar you cannot even see that they have this lens on. They are extremely happy and wear it all the time.
Before
After
This patient presented with light sensitivity after an accidental trauma left them with iris tissue loss in the left eye. We designed them a prosthetic soft contact lens that would "recreate" the pupil. This improves their light sensitivity as well as their vision. They were able to see 20/20 with this eye after receiving this lens.
Before
After
This patient presented with an opacified cornea after trauma to the eye. They were looking for an option to make their damaged eye look more like their other eye. Here are the before and after. We fit them with a custom soft lens and then had that lens painted to the specifications of their eye. They were very happy with the results!
Before
After
This patient had a scarred right eye. They were wearing a prosthetic contact lens that had lots most of its color. We discussed all of their options with them and chose an option that made the lens very soft, comfortable, and had a "dipping" process to the dye that allowed for a lens that lasted a long time. Their right eye turns out so it still looks turned. There are some lenses that can be made where the paint can be de-centered but this patient chose to have a more simple lens that is easily replicable.