Visually impaired man creates 3D-printed eye prosthesis

Ondřej had the idea for this device during a 3D printing lecture at his university. He thought that he could use this technology to produce cheaper and more customized ophthalmic prostheses.

The student presented this idea to his teacher and started working on it, using this topic for his bachelor thesis. “This Bachelor’s thesis deals with a production of a prototype of an eye prosthesis using 3D printing on the base of a model given by scanning of an PMMA handmade prosthesis. The model was modified in a program 3ds Max 2017. The core of the prosthesis with texture was created using this procedure. Additive technology PolyJet and 3D printer Stratasys J750 was used for production. Printed core was covered with biocompatible material to create a biocompatible surface”, says on the document’s abstract.

Using his old ophthalmic prosthesis to start working on this project, the student said the hardest part of making an eye prosthetic is the iris, as it needs to resemble a person’s healthy eye as much as possible. This is another advantage of 3D printing, as it has better results than the conventional methods of manufacturing, and in a reduced amount of time.

According to the inventor, the production of one of this prosthesis takes less than an hour and a half. “Production of an acrylic prosthesis takes around eight hours. While a glass prosthesis can be ready for a patient in two hours, there is no possibility to modify it”, he explained.

Not only it takes less time to develop, it is also cheaper. A typical eye prosthesis costs between $95-$145. Ondřej’s invention costs about $40.

This solution is still a prototype and has not been submitted to any medical tests. The student’s goal is to create an even more efficient and cheaper device that will be able to be easily replaced by another one when necessary.

“When a patient calls for a new prosthesis in two years’ time, he does not even need to ride in,” Vocílka said. “Essentially, just print and send the artificial eye by mail, for example”, Ondřej expressed. He already got an award from Bosh for this innovation.

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/2CjpMqi