As with adults, some infants or toddlers require prosthetic eye services, which can be pretty challenging for a guardian or parent to navigate. Each child can have very different prosthetic eye service needs and different outcomes. However, it is paramount for every guardian or parent to understand their child’s needs, as stated by an ocularist.
With the help of an ocularist and ophthalmologist, your child can quickly adapt and thrive in their new look with little to no limitations. A prosthetic eye for infants and toddlers requires a lot of supervision and regular check-ups by an ocularist. Here is everything you need to know about prosthetic eyes for children.
Prosthetic Eyes for Children
Just like adults, children, infants, or toddlers can urgently require a prosthetic eye for several reasons, including genetic eye conditions, eye injuries, eye surgeries, or other eye disorders.
Children are medically fit to have their first prosthetic eye at ages 1 and 2. However, their faces and physical body changes over time as they grow up. As a result, they will need a new pair of prosthetic eyes until they reach full age.
On average, most children end up replacing their prosthetic eyes three to four times by the time they are ten years. The need for a prosthetic eye for children might be caused by several surgical eye procedures, such as an enucleation surgical procedure.
Enucleation is a surgical procedure which removes the entire eye. On the other hand, evisceration is an eye surgical procedure that involves removing some of the eye contents. These procedures require at least six weeks of healing before the initial surgery.
After the procedure, a child receives a custom-fitted eye that plays a massive role in the eye healing process. Ocularists highly advise parents and guardians to ensure their child or children always wear this custom-fitted eye all the time until the eye socket is completely healed, which might take a couple of months.
Steps Taken in Receiving a Prosthetic Eye for Your Child
Before the initial surgery occurs, leading to the need for a prosthetic eye, every guardian or parent is advised to first take their child to an ocularist for consultation six weeks prior. Regular consultations are paramount since they help a child be personally acquainted with an ocularist.
After the eye surgery leading to a prosthesis, a custom eye is fitted in the child’s eye socket before a long-term or permanent prosthetic eye, which might take six to eight weeks after the swelling has subsided.
Even after a successful prosthesis, most ocularists will advise regular check-ups with your child to ensure that the custom-fitted eye is healthy. They will check for abnormalities such as infections, scratches, roughness, or dust deposits. Most ocularists note that parents should ensure their child wears protective eyeglasses to protect their prosthetic eyes.
Are You Looking for the Best Prosthetic Eye Services for Your Child?
Welcome to Hetzler Ocular Prosthetics Inc, a company that provides various ocular services to the local people in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since 1979, we have provided the best and most professional visual services, including custom ocular prosthetics, scleral shell prosthetics, and conventional prosthetics. Call us today to get the best eye fit for your child.