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Prosthetic Eye in Infants
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Development of the orbital cavity after birth depends on the existence of an eye with normal dimensions. Therefore, unless some precautions are taken, severe facial asymmetry may develop in those infants with either congenital absence of the eye (congenital anophthalmia) or a small (an underdeveloped) eye (congenital microphthalmia) and those who experience removal of the eye at an early period of life.
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Socket expansion process under doctor control should begin as early as possible in microphthalmic or anophthalmic infants. For this purpose, conformers that gradually increase in size are inserted in the sockets of those infants without a need for surgery.
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This is not a painful process. The follow-up visits are scheduled according to the patient's response and the expansion of the socket, and a conformer which is bigger in size is used at each visit as required.
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Conformers used in order to expand the socket are initially made from clear acrylic, which is a time saving and cost effective option. However, prosthetic eyes can also be used for socket expansion if desired..
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