Revolutionizing Maxillofacial Rehabilitation with a Novel 3D-Printed Ocular Prosthesis with Sublimation Transfer Technique: A Case Report

Abstract

Psychological trauma usually comes with the loss or disfiguration of an eye. Defects of the eye can be caused by conditions like cysts, road traffic accidents, or the excision of the eye for infection. A patient with a prosthetic eye complained of dissatisfaction caused by asymmetry and opacification. He had lost his eye in a road traffic accident and had been wearing the prosthesis for 8 to 12 months but was not satisfied with its cosmetic appearance. To improve the cosmetic result, a new prosthesis was create by combining sublimation transfer technology with three-dimensional printing, resulting in a replica of the healthy eye. Digital scanning, 3D printing of the scleral shell, and sublimation transfer of iris and scleral details were performed. A 3D printed ocular prosthesis was obtained with the above-mentioned technique; the prosthesis was perfectly fitting with proper shade matching to the contralateral normal eye, giving better aesthetic results. As compared to convention method of fabrication, this technique improves iris positioning, color fidelity, surface finish and patient satisfaction. This case report describes a better algorithm for producing personalised ocular prostheses, integrating classic and digital methods to obtain the best results.