Prosthetic Illusions’ artificial eyes have been well received by infants, children and adults alike. Each prosthetic eye is hand-sculpted and hand-painted in front of the patient to obtain the best fit and movement, color match, landmark orientation and overall aesthetic balance .
When a patient has loss of an eye due to injury, glaucoma, diabetes cancer or birth defects, Prosthetic Illusions partners with your Oculoplastic surgeon to ensure the best overall care is provided. Together, your team of healthcare providers will ensure the most optimal design and fit for you and your ocular prosthesis. Barbara Spohn-Lillo is an ocularist and the only Board Certified Clinical Anaplastologist in the Rocky Mountain Region. Spohn-Lillo has over 30 years of experience in fabricating the acrylic eye prosthesis with unparalleled expertise and technical detail that will leave you feeling confident and comfortable.
Prosthetic Illusions eye prosthesis, often times referred to as a “glass eye”, is constructed with medical-grade acrylic materials. The acrylic eye’s glass predecessor was originally imported from Germany and used throughout the United States up until World War II. Since then, the standard in eye prostheses evolved into the use of durable acrylic materials and the glass eye has rarely been used in the United States since.
Comparing acrylic and glass materials for artificial eyes
Benefits of Acrylic Prosthetic Eyes
- Very user and lifestyle-friendly for children and adults who have lost an eye due to disease or trauma.
- Eye prosthesis does not need to be removed daily for cleaning. A professional polishing is required and suggested one time a year.
- Healthier for the eye socket in that it does not easily absorb eye fluid.
- Easy to repair from damage due to breaks, cracks or chips.
- Very durable and difficult to damage.
- An acrylic artificial eye can be worn as often or as little as patient likes. We have patients who leave it in year round except for their yearly polishing.
- Ultimately, the acrylic eye prosthesis was designed to be very low-maintenance. You should not have to fuss with your eye prosthesis for any length of time regarding application, cleaning or maintenance.
Glass Eye Prosthesis
- A glass eye is very thin so glass eyes are extremely fragile. They can be prone to shattering, breaks and possibly imploding in the eye.
- Corrodes due to the porosity of the material therefore needing daily soaking/cleaning (like a contact lens).
- Requires daily removal to clean – most damage can occur during removal due to dropping the prosthesis.
- Significantly less durable then an acrylic eye.
- Glass is more porous than acrylic, therefore it can actually absorb fluid from the eye