The surgery on November 25 has given a 47-year-old man in the UK the eye he desired. He has also become the first person in the world to receive a prosthetic eye created using 3D printing technology.
Steve Verze, a 47-year-old engineer living in Hackney, East London, became the world’s first recipient of a 3D-printed eye following a multi-hour surgery on November 25, according to CNN.
A happy smile spreads across the man’s face after years of sadness due to a physical defect. It is hard to recognize that his left eye is a prosthetic – (Photo: CNN)
Steve suffered from an illness years ago that rendered his left eye non-functional. Each time he looked in the mirror, he felt sadness because of it. After a waiting period and undergoing numerous in-depth examinations, he was scheduled for a prosthetic eye surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
The surgery was a complete success. Notably, Verze’s prosthetic eye was entirely printed using cutting-edge digital technology, offering “greater clarity and a more realistic pupil depth” compared to other alternatives.
Prosthetic eyes are not a new product, with millions of people around the world using them. However, other prosthetic eyes typically only feature hand-painted irises or rudimentary printing methods on a small flat surface, which are then inserted into the eye socket, lacking realistic depth. The longer they are worn, the easier it becomes to detect that the prosthetic eye is indeed… artificial. The new product addresses this drawback.
Moreover, the new eye installation process also results in fewer side effects. Previously, when fitting a prosthetic eye, doctors would take a mold from the patient’s real eye socket, which was time-consuming and could lead to infections or pain for the patient. With the new technology, the prosthetic eye is 3D-printed. This means that the patient’s eye socket is digitally scanned to create detailed images.
For patients who still have one functioning eye like Steve Verze, the real eye is also scanned to ensure that both eyes appear “natural” together.
The 3D images of Steve’s eye socket were then sent to Germany for printing before being returned to the UK. Finally, an ophthalmologist at Moorfields Hospital finished and polished the eye before fitting it for Steve.
The entire process took only 2-3 weeks, compared to nearly 2 months of waiting if done using traditional methods.
In a media interview following the surgery, Steve Verze expressed his joy at receiving the new eye: “It looks amazing, and especially since it’s based on 3D digital printing technology. It’s incredible! It looks so real!”
Steve’s successful surgery not only brought him joy but also offered hope to millions of others worldwide who have lost their sight. The team at Moorfields Eye Hospital stated that they are conducting further research to address even the smallest limitations of this technology to make it more widely available.
