A resident of the UK underwent the world’s first operation to install an eye prosthesis printed on a 3D printer. This is reported by the Mail Online edition.
The patient turned out to be 40-year-old Steve Verze from London. The man lost his right eye at the age of 20 and since then has been forced to use prostheses that need to be updated every six months. Doctors at the ophthalmological hospital in Moorfields offered Verze to install a 3D-printed prosthesis. According to doctors, it looks more like a real eye than old prostheses.
According to scientists, it currently takes about six weeks for patients to install eye prosthesis. About 60 thousand people in the UK need regular replacement of the prosthesis. Printing an artificial eye on a printer takes only two hours.
“This new eye looks fantastic, and since it is based on digital 3D printing technology, it will only get better and better,” said Steve Verze. Doctors reported that to install a new prosthesis, it is necessary to scan the eye socket once, and then send the data to specialists engaged in three-dimensional printing from Germany.
Scientists noted that the printed eye will not return the patient’s vision, but will add confidence to him. According to Steve Verze, he used to look in the mirror when he left the house, and he didn’t like the old prosthesis.
