the times | Thursday November 25 2021 13
News
An NHS patient will become the first in
the world to use a 3D-printed eye as his
only prosthetic replacement.
Doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust hope a clinical
trial will show that the technique could
prove useful for many more patients
and cut waiting times.
Traditional acrylic prosthetics re-
quire invasive moulding of the eye
socket, which for children can be so
difficult that they must be put under
general anaesthetic.
The 3D-printed version — a better
mimic for a real eye — requires a simple
scan after which software maps out a
model of a person’s eye socket for the
printer. The patient’s good eye is also
scanned to ensure a precise match.
The files are sent to a 3D printer in
Germany, which completes the task
within two and a half hours. The pros-
thetic is then sent to the trust’s ocularist
for finishing, polishing and fitting.
Steve Verze, an engineer in his forties
from Hackney, east London, first tried
his new left eye on November 11 along-
Vision of the future with world’s first 3D-printed eye
Kat Lay Health Editor side a traditional acrylic prosthetic. By
going home today with just his printed
eye, it will be the first time any patient
has used a 3D-printed eye as their sole
prosthetic. “I’ve needed a prosthetic
since I was 20, and I’ve always felt self-
conscious about it,” Verze said. “When I
leave my home I often take a second
glance in the mirror, and I’ve not liked
what I’ve seen. This new eye looks
fantastic and, being based on 3D digital
printing technology, it’s only going to be
better and better.”
People may need a prosthetic eye if
their own has failed to develop normal-
ly since birth, after an accident, or if the
eye is removed for example because of
cancer. Approximately 60,000 people
in the UK are affected.
Patients typically wait four to five
months after surgery for a moulding
appointment for their prosthetic eye,
but the waiting time is longer at present.
Eyes are replaced about every five
years. Patients usually undergo a two-
hour moulding session and the eye is
manufactured and painted over several
days, after which a fitting appointment
is arranged. The process takes about six
weeks. 3D printing should at least halve
the manufacturing time and reduce the
initial patient appointment to half an
hour.
Professor Mandeep Sagoo, a consult-
ant ophthalmologist at Moorfields,
said: “We hope the forthcoming clinical
trial will provide us with robust evi-
dence about the value of this new tech-
nology, showing what a difference it
makes for patients. It clearly has the
potential to reduce waiting lists.”
The 3D-printed eyes have clearer
definition than hand-painted prosthet-
ics, and allow light to travel the full
depth of the eye in a more natural way.
Part of the funding for the project camevia a donation from the Drayson Foun-
dation, of which Lord Drayson, the
businessman, racing driver and Labour
politician born with one eye, is a trustee.Steve Verze, an engineer from London,
says his new left eye looks fantastic6 Three minutes of exposure to deep
red light between 8am and 9am can im-
prove declining eyesight, a study in
Scientific Reports suggests. On average
there was a 17 per cent improvement in
colour contrast vision, which lasted for
at least a week. When the test was con-
ducted in the afternoon no improve-
ment was seen. Professor Glen Jeffery,
lead author, from the UCL Institute of
Ophthalmology, said it was like “charg-
ing a battery” but the cells did not re-
pond in the same way later in the day.patrick kiddTMS
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