The term 'glass eye' is still often used, even though glass is no longer the material of choice for making prosthetic – or artificial – eyes Glass was one of the original materials, though, and because of that many people still use the term glass eye

A lot has been done with prosthetic eyes in the past, but where they're going in the future remains to be seen From the crude glass that they were originally made from (hence the name glass eyes) to the acrylic and natural looking options that are available today, it's clear that this is a field in which there have been many advances

Most people only think of adults when they think of prosthetic eyes, but there are children and even infants who need them, as well There have been accidents where young children have lost an eye, where babies have been born with a missing eye or deformed and non-functional eye, and diseases that can damage the eyes of even the smallest and youngest of children

When it comes to the 'realism' of prosthetic eyes (sometimes called 'glass' eyes because they were made of glass early on) one of the most important things to do is match the color of the prosthetic to the color of the patient's natural eye It's easy to say that someone's eyes are brown or blue or green, but that's only one part of the story

Artificial eyes, sometimes also called prosthetic eyes, are a marvel of form and function While they don't allow a patient to see, they do provide aesthetic value and self-confidence, which are often lost when the eye is lost

The artificial eye has been around since before the time of Shakespeare, but the quality that's available today is far advanced compared to what has been seen throughout history Early on, eyes were symbols for many things such as prosperity, and eyes made of jewels were often placed on the dead in Egypt

If someone has sustained an injury to an eye that has caused it to fail, or if that person has dealt with some kind of eye disease that has caused blindness, it can make sense to remove the eye and replace it with a prosthetic, or artificial, eye Doing that is less difficult than most people would think, because removing the eye is relatively uncomplicated when compared to many other surgeries

The artificial eye is a combination of science and art A specialist is needed to create it, and through trial and error the artificial eye of today is much less detectable and fits much better than in the past

Prosthetic eyes need maintenance, just like any prosthesis A lot of that maintenance can be done at home by the patient, but there is some that should be done only by a professional