A prosthetic eye or eye prosthesis is an artificial eye that is placed for someone who has lost an eye. False eyes can be used by men and women of all ages.
An accident or illness can not only cause a person to lose sight, but also lose his eyeballs. This situation can reduce self-confidence due to an unusual appearance.
Although they cannot restore vision, false eyes can restore normal appearance and restore self-confidence. The false eye in question is not in the shape of a ball, but only an outer arch with an image of the white and black parts of the eye that looks like a real one.
Before installing false eyes, you need to undergo an eyeball implant (orbital implant) first. This aims to fill the eye socket, only then can the false eye be used. Orbital implants can be performed with synthetic materials or fat grafts derived from the patient's own body. To make false eyes, you can see an ocularis, which is someone who is an expert in making false eyes.
How to Use False Eyes
After undergoing eyeball implants and making false eyes, you can install false eyes independently at home. Installation of false eyes can be done by following the following methods:
- Wash your hands first.
- Wash false eyes with special soap and warm water.
- Dry the false eye.
- Hold the false eye between your thumb and middle finger, then lift the upper eyelid with the other hand.
- Insert the upper part of the false eye into the upper eyelid.
- Hold the false eye with the index finger, while the other hand pulls the lower eyelid, so that the false eye enters the lower eyelid.
Apart from installing it yourself, you can also remove the false eye yourself. In general, removing the false eye can be done in two ways, using a suction cup and without a suction cup. To be more clear, consider the following method:
Without using a suction cup
- Wash your hands first.
- Pull the lower eyelid using the index finger.
- Look up and the false eye will pop out through the lower eyelid.
By using a suction cup
- Wet the suction cup first with clean water.
- Squeeze the handle of the bowl and press the surface of the false eyeball with the mouth of the bowl.
- Release the squeeze slowly and make sure the mouth of the bowl is against the false eye.
- Pull the lower eyelid and pull out the false eye through the lower eyelid.
Fake Eye Treatment
False eyes can also cause allergic reactions and inflammation, especially if they are not kept clean. Some signs of inflammation to watch out for are watery eyes, as well as pain and swelling in the eye area.
To prevent inflammation, follow these tips in treating false eyes:
- Wash false eyes once a month with a special soap that is softener-free and non-erosive.
- False eyes can be used while sleeping, unless the ophthalmologist gives other instructions.
- Use a suction cup when attaching or removing the false eye.
- Do not remove the false eye pairs too often.
- Put lubricating eye drops on the false eye.
- Check the false eye to the ocularist once a year.
- Replace false eyes every 5 years.
- Visit the ocularis if the false eyeball feels loose, to be readjusted.
Especially in children, it is advisable to check the false eye more often to the ocularis. This is because the eye sockets in children are still growing, so the false eyeball can become loose.
The following is a recommended inspection time:
- For children under 3 years, check 3-4 times a year.
- For children 3 years and over, check 2 times a year.
You can feel uncomfortable at first wearing false eyes, but over time you will get used to it. In addition to having a false eye checked by an ocularist, you are also recommended to visit an ophthalmologist every 6 months to monitor eye health. Immediately consult an ophthalmologist if inflammation occurs in the eye.
Written by:
dr. Dian Hadiany Rahim, SpM(Ophthalmologist)
