Seeing in 3D

If you are a regular reader of content from Next Nature, then you know that 3D printing can be used in all sorts of technological developments, such as organ printing, food waste products, or housing. In the end of November 2021, another promising use for 3D printing became one step closer to reality-  a 3D printed prosthetic eye. 

Developed through a collaboration between Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research and British company Ocupeye, this prosthetic eye will most likely overtake the traditionally crafted prosthetic once proven through clinical trials. By using a concise medical scan of the eye socket as well as color calibrated image of the individual eye, an exact replica can be 3D printed for the patient. As a result, the prosthetic fits the patient far better than its traditional counterpart, takes much less time to produce, and almost exactly replicates the patient’s original eye. Potentially, this prosthesis could fulfill the 10,000 strong yearly demand in the UK for these prostheses with only one 3D printer. 

Now, this new development will be tested in 40 different volunteers and evaluated over a year-long trial period. The first recipient, Steve Verze, received his prosthetic in the end of November, marking the first step toward wider distribution of this 3D printed innovation.