British man gets world's first 3D printed eye

Steve Verze becomes the first patient to be fitted with a 3D printed prosthetic eye in London.

LONDON:

A British man became the first patient in the world to be fitted with a 3D printed eye at the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, reported CNN.

Steve Verze, 47, is an engineer from Hackney, East London. He received the left eye on thursday, which is the first fully digital prosthetic eye created for a patient. It is by far more realistic in comparison to other alternatives and is designed to offer "clearer definition and real depth to the pupil", according to the hospital. 

The procedure of fitting a traditional prosthetic eye would require a mold to be taken of the eye socket, but a digitally printed one just needs a digital scan of the eye socket to create a detailed image. 

In a press release, Verze said, "I've needed a prosthetic since I was 20, and I've always felt self-conscious about it."

The Moorfields Eye Hospital commented that the procedure was less invasive and would take half the time it would take for a traditional prosthetic eye to be fitted in, from six weeks to just two or three.

Clinical trials on this achievement are starting soon involving more patients. Professor Mandeep Sagoo, clinical lead for the project at Moorfields Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology and ocular oncology at University College London, expressed his excitement at the new project, hoping that the "forthcoming clinical trial will provide us with robust evidence about the value of this new technology, showing what a difference it makes for patients."