Benefits of Wearing a Prosthetic Eye
Prosthetic eyes have many benefits for individuals who wear one (or two), opposed to wearing an eye patch or nothing at all. Technological advances have made it possible so that a good prosthetic eye looks extremely natural and hard to recognize by appearance. There are many benefits provided by artificial eyes such as proper facial function and one’s physical appearance/self esteem.
Proper Facial Function – Health Benefit
A happy patient with her new prosthesis at Southeastern Ocularists, Inc.
A huge benefit wearing a prosthetic eye is that it allows the body to function properly. After the loss of an eye, if a prosthetic eye is not soon fitted, then the eye socket will begin to close in on itself and the eyelid will droop and not function properly. Having a prosthetic eye in place allows the eye socket to retain its proper shape and size and help your body feel as though your eye is still there. This benefit is not gained from wearing an eye patch. A prosthetic eye also allows the eyelid to function correctly. For this reason, the prosthetic eye is not just a way to complete your appearance, but it is also a way to ensure the eye socket and rest of the eye anatomy continues to function properly.
Physical Appearance/Self Esteem – Personal Benefit
Another happy patient with her new prosthesis at Southeastern Ocularists, Inc.
Many individuals who have lost an eye, or both, suffer from self esteem issues. It is a very traumatic experience, no matter what the cause, so this is a completely normal symptom to have. Having a disability is difficult, especially one that is vision related, and very few individuals feel comfortable dealing with the strange stares and rude comments from strangers. Having a prosthetic eye that matches the other eye increases an individual’s self esteem tenfold.
Beyond an eye patch, which is not beneficial for proper facial function, there are not many options for people with this disability unless they choose a prosthetic eye. Fortunately, individuals may have prosthetic eyes custom made by an ocularist that specializes in making artificial eyes. In the process of creation, the iris is hand-painted and based on the existing eye of new owner – or sometimes upon request, a fun type of eye can be created such as one with your favorite baseball team on it. You can proudly wear your hand-painted eye because is truly custom and made for you. No other eye in the world will match you artificial eye, just like when you had a real one.
If you or someone you know are in need of prosthetic eye services, please contact one of our office locations in the Charlotte, NC or Mt. Pleasant, SC area and schedule your free consultation appointment.
