New material was needed, so ocularists turned to plastics. During World War 2, the supply of high-quality glass from Germany to America, Britain, and Australia was cut off. Around this time, high-quality ocular prosthetics were available in America, with materials exported from Germany. However, the Parisians and Germans soon developed superior glass-blowing techniques and took over the majority of production. For centuries, the Venetians were very protective of their methodology for the manufacture of prosthetic eyes. While the artisans developed a material that was tolerable for the eye socket, these early prosthetic glass eyes were very fragile and uncomfortable. The first in-socket eye prosthesis was made from gold and later Venetian glass. These eyes were worn for religious or aesthetic purposes only. Egyptian priests were the first documented ocularists, creating their artificial eyes from painted clay attached to a cloth and worn outside the socket. Archeologists believe the woman was a priestess. Gold thread was passed through small holes drilled into both sides of the eye to hold it in place.

The prosthesis was spherical and made from clay, covered with a thin layer of gold. The woman was discovered wearing an ocular prosthesis outside of the eye socket. The first evidence we have of humans wearing prosthetic eyes comes from human remains found in South-East Iran.

You mightn’t have considered it before, but ocular prosthetics have a rich history spanning back thousands of years. The prosthetic eye can be removed, cleaned, and replaced whenever needed. Once the implant has healed and settled, the prosthesis can be slipped under the eyelids and onto the implant. A round implant is surgically inserted into the eye socket by an ophthalmologist and covered with a tissue called the conjunctiva.

Instead, they are a thin, curved, painted acrylic disc designed to look like a natural eye. Unlike the old-fashioned glass eyes, modern prosthetic eyes aren’t spherical. Individuals can choose between ‘stock’ eyes which are mass-produced and don’t have a customised fit and colour, or they can visit ocular specialists like the team at Artificial Eyes to have a custom prosthesis made to match their companion eye. Nowadays, ocular prosthetics are usually made from acrylic. People have been making and wearing prosthetic eyes for millennia, and many think of the old fashioned prosthetic glass eye when they think of artificial eyes. Prosthetic eyes create a balanced facial appearance, increase comfort in the eye socket where the eye is missing, and restore confidence. Prosthetic eyes are a cosmetic treatment option for individuals who have either lost an eye due to traumatic eye injury or illness or those born with microphthalmia or anophthalmia. What Are Prosthetic Eyes And How Do They Work?

Fake eyeballs on a thread