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History of Ocular Implants

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Anophthalmia

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Abstract

The loss of an eye, whether due to trauma, operation, infection, or any number of other pathologies, has always been associated with orbital volume deficits and a loss of normal cosmesis. Given that the eye is such a vital component of human social connection, efforts to restore the external appearance of the socket after eye removal led to the advent of the orbital implant, which serves to replace removed ocular contents. Historically, a wide variety of orbital implant materials and techniques have come in and out of favor in attempts to restore volume, motility, and ocular health. From the most rudimentary glass spheres to highly advanced engineered biomaterials, this chapter provides a brief overview of the history of ocular prosthetics in the hopes of highlighting the advances that have been made over the last 500 years. It is important to understand the metamorphosis of ocular implants and the unique innovations that have brought us the implants that we use today, as this will allow us to continue to strive for improvement and progress in our orbital implants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Kelly H. Yom & Audrey C. Ko

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  1. Kelly H. Yom
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  2. Audrey C. Ko
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Correspondence to Audrey C. Ko .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Thomas E. Johnson

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Yom, K.H., Ko, A.C. (2020). History of Ocular Implants. In: Johnson, T. (eds) Anophthalmia . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29753-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29753-4_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-29752-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29753-4

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