Prosthetic Eye Cleaning and Polishing Appointments

Do you remember how good your new prosthetic eye looked and felt after you first got it? We do, because it’s one of the best parts of our work with each patient at Carolina Eye Prosthetics. Your comfort, increased confidence, and the care we help provide to those that have gone through the trauma of eye loss are the reasons we show up in the office each day! 

When it comes to the regular, ongoing maintenance of your prosthetic, we are always glad to have you back for a quick visit with our team. Not only will you leave with that good feeling you first had, but regular cleaning and polishing treatments for your custom prosthetic eye are a great idea for three reasons. 

Three Important Reasons for Regular Cleaning and Polishing Your Prosthetic Eye

1. When you decided to get a custom prosthetic eye, you made a significant investment in your health and appearance! With a regular visit for maintenance, you will get the most out of that investment and keep your prosthetic eye looking and feeling great. It’s important that you visit our team or an office we recommend for your polishings, however. Most fitters, dentists, and opticians do not understand the modified impression method we used to make your eye. The polishing compounds many offices use may negatively affect how your prosthetic fits and feels, especially if they inadvertently change the contour of your prosthetic.
   
2. You already know that we pay extra attention to the aesthetic beauty of each hand-painted, custom prosthetic we craft for our patients, but a cleaning appointment will also give us a regular chance to look at the health of your eye socket. Subtle changes you might not notice are things we can pick up on right away and catch something before it becomes a bigger issue or health risk.
   
3. Eventually, your prosthetic eye will need to be replaced. Often a patient’s body is ready for a new prosthetic before the prosthetic’s materials wear out and need replacing. On average, you can expect to replace a prosthetic eye every 3-5 years. When you schedule a regular (every 6-12 months) cleaning and polish appointment with us, we will be able to talk about the ideal timing for that replacement so you can plan for it ahead of time.

Between Cleaning Appointments for Your Prosthetic Eye

We get many questions from patients about how to care for and clean their prosthetic eye at home. This is something we would love to talk about in more depth at your next visit. Generally, though, we encourage patients to keep cleanings at home to a minimum because each eye socket is really like its own little ecosystem. They naturally arrive at a kind of balance and healthy state. Frequently removing or cleaning your prosthetic can disturb that balance and lead to problems. If you do need to clean your prosthetic at home, follow the steps we have outlined in our FAQs and review our list of recommended products.

What to Expect During Your Visit

Cleaning and polishing visits are quick, no-stress, and fun! 

We will:

• Check the overall condition of your prosthetic
• Clean any protein deposits from your eye’s surface
• Polish surface scratches without altering your eye’s unique contours
• Conduct a quick health examination of your eye socket
• Inspect the socket and prosthetic carefully for fit and noting any changes

These visits typically take 30 minutes or less, and we love the chance to reconnect and send you out looking your best and feeling good about your prosthetic eye.

Schedule Your Cleaning and Polishing Appointment Now

You should schedule at least one cleaning and polishing appointment every 6 to 12 months. You can also receive annual perks when you join the Carolina Eye Prosthetics VIP Program. It only takes a minute to schedule your next visit with our team. Call us or send us a message now to book an appointment on a day and time that work well for you.