Belgian ophthalmologists make the world's first 3D printed prosthetic eye July 25, 2016 Source: Kexun There are many kinds of raw materials and different properties of cosmetics. According to the properties and uses of raw materials, cosmetics can be generally divided into two categories: substrate raw materials and auxiliary raw materials. Cosmetic Ingredients ,Sodium Hyaluronate Powder,Kojic Acid Dipalmitate,Ursolic Acid Powder Xi'an Double H Health Technology Co., Ltd , https://www.xadoubleh.com
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Belgian ophthalmologists make the world's first 3D printed prosthetic eye
Recently, experts from the Academic Hospital of the University of Leuven in Belgium developed the world's first 3D printed eye for a 68-year-old male patient. More importantly, the cost of manufacturing this 3D printed prosthetic eye (or false eye) is only 1,300 euros, and most of it is paid for by the patient's medical insurance.
As we all know, the eye has been there for decades. Why did 3D printing use this piece? The biggest reason for this is that the demand is relatively small. The application of this artificial eye is those who lose their eyes for whatever reason. In Leuven, they only see two patients who need a right eye every month. It is understood that these artificial eyes have no practical function - patients can not see things through them, the only advantage is that it can promote the movement of muscle tissue around the eyes, making the patient's appearance more normal.
However, the problem in the middle is that all righteous eyes need to be hand-made. Moreover, because of the low demand, there are often only a few specialists in a country capable of producing these fake eyes. The hospital at the University of Leuven is the only hospital in Belgium that employs a full-time artificial eye manufacturing specialist who produces about 70 different artificial eyes each year. It is also a very artistic job: the iris needs to be painted by hand to match the other eye, and choosing the right white for the sclera is also a difficult task. Small blood vessels are usually imitated using tiny red cotton threads.
So, as Ilse Mombaerts, professor of orthopedic surgery, said: “The eye is a luxury, and communication with the artist is critical to the patient's new eye design. The ophthalmologist performing the surgery is usually designed with the eye. The artists work together. The artificial eye cost of this craft is about 1,300 euros. If you use 3D printing technology to make it, the cost will remain the same due to the investment of equipment. Currently, they are using Materialise's 3D printing system.
Although the cost is similar, it is well known that it is difficult to perfect any handwork, and how to perfectly match the eye socket with the right eye is also a big challenge. This is why the hospital's ophthalmologist turns to 3D printing. Traditionally, the measurement of the orbital fossa uses an alginate mold that goes through a process that is time consuming and requires constant trial and error, and puts a lot of pressure on the delicate tissue of the patient's eye socket. Today, experts use a CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) scan to create a 3D printed model. CBCT is a very common aid in dental surgery because it can model the patient's mouth without causing damage - but it is the first time for the manufacture of the eye.
This model is printed by the hospital's 3D engineer and sent to the eye specialist. The expert then uses this as a reference to create a prosthetic eye for a particular patient. However, the hospital's ultimate plan is to use a carbon material commonly used in dentures to directly print 3D prosthetic eyes. "At the moment, we can't directly print 3D eyes, but in the near future this will definitely be achieved," said Professor Mombaerts.