Revolutionizing Maxillofacial Rehabilitation for Ocular Defects: The Impact of Three-Dimensional Printing and Sublimation Transfer Technique on Changing Horizons

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 11; p. e49706
• Main Authors: Pathak, Ankita, Dhamande, Mithilesh M, Sathe, Seema, Gujjelwar, Smruti, Khubchandani, Sheetal R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 30.11.2023
• Subjects: 3-D graphics; 3-D printers; Aesthetics; Asymmetry; Automation; Blood vessels; Manufacturing; Prostheses; Scanners; Software; Trauma; United States > US; ocular prosthesis; sublimation transfer technique; ocular defect; prosthetic eye; three dimensional printing
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49706

An absence or any disfigurement to the eye leads to psychological handicap for the patient. An ocular defect is a defect of an eye because of a cyst, road traffic accident, or enucleation of an eye due to infection. While correcting this type of defect, maxillofacial prosthodontists should consider all aspects such as esthetics, comfort, and functions of the ocular prosthesis, which gives a lifelike appearance to the prosthesis. A prosthetic eye wearer patient complained of asymmetry and opaque appearance of the ocular prosthesis. The patient had lost his eye in a road traffic accident and has been wearing a prosthesis for 8-12 months but is not pleased with how the prosthesis looks. A novel prosthesis created by the use of sublimation transfer technology and three-dimensional printing to improve the esthetics exactly replicates the contralateral normal eye. In a proposed case report, an algorithm for the fabrication of customized ocular prostheses was improved. A smooth blend of conventional as well as digital methods is used to optimize the results.