Prosthetic Contact Lenses
Prosthetic contact lenses can greatly enhance the visual appearance of a damaged or disfigured eye, whether as a result of past trauma or a serious eye infection. By reducing glare and recreating a round pupil, the lenses can also help improve vision in circumstances where the pupil is irregularly shaped, whether owing to trauma, disease, or surgical error.
In certain circumstances, disposable cosmetic contact lenses provide the desired results.
However, if the eye shape prevents the prosthetic contact lens from maintaining on-eye stability, you will be referred for a prosthetic scleral shell. You may also need a personalized ocular prosthesis if your eye has been removed (enucleated).
Many individuals with deformed or scarred eyes can benefit from custom-made prosthetic contact lenses.
What are Prosthetic Contact Lenses?
Prosthetic contact lenses are special lenses that cover the cornea if the cornea has become opaque or cloudy. The unique lens is designed to blend in with the other eye. A customized and detailed paint-job is required to match the other eye and make the prosthetic eye look as real as possible. A birth defect, a disease process or eye trauma are some of the reasons one eye may not appear the same as the other.
Benefits of Prosthetic Contact Lenses
There are many benefits to wearing prosthetic contact lenses.
Provides cosmetic enhancement
Patients seeking soft prosthetic contact lenses are frequently interested in their cosmetic advantages. When they are fitted with the correct prosthetic lenses, their scars, disfigurements or congenital deformities can appear considerably less obvious.
Natural-looking
Prosthetic and aesthetic soft lenses are designed to look as natural as possible. At The Scleral Contact Lens at North Park Vision Center, we use a variety of techniques, ranging from translucent tinting to unique hand-painting, to make lenses that closely resemble the appearance, shape, size, color, and patterning of your natural eyes.
Boosts confidence
These lenses can boost a patient’s confidence and self-esteem. Eye injuries or deformities can have an impact on how patients feel, especially when interacting with others. Patients who wear cosmetic lenses that resemble the appearance of a natural eye tend to feel more at ease.
Helps with excessive light sensitivity
Photophobia, or light sensitivity, is a common side effect of many eye injuries. An eye injury can limit the eye’s capacity to filter light correctly. When the pupil is injured or altered, it can cause excessive pupil dilation or irregular pupil opening. Soft prosthetic lenses can help with light sensitivity by simulating a more natural pupil size and dilation.
Address problems with double vision
Double vision can also occur as a result of ocular trauma, either permanently or temporarily during recovery. Wearing an eye patch is one solution, but it has long-term implications for vision development and recovery, and it is neither the most pleasant nor the most unobtrusive option. Occluder prosthetic lenses can be created to have a black pupil that blocks light from one eye, preventing double vision.
Contact The Scleral Contact Lens at North Park Vision Center to learn more about prosthetic contact lenses and whether they are a good fit for you.
Our practice serves patients from Westminster, Broomfield, Thornton, and the Front Range, Colorado and surrounding communities.
