TN needs maxillofacial rehab centre: Doctors

Stating that such procedures are usually performed in a dental hospital set up, Dr K Ramkumar, a prosthodontist of the Dental Surgery Department at Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital said, “Such defects occur the least in the eyes, making the number of cases performed globally to be far lesser than the prosthetics of the ears and jaws.” The hospital had recently performed the prosthetics procedure on a 49-year-old teacher from Uttar Pradesh, whose self-confidence had taken a hit after he underwent enucleation – a surgery to remove the eye ball – which led to the deformity of his face.

“Such physical disfigurements tend to seriously affect the morale of patients, which is why we started this procedure in our hospital. Such defects account for least two to three per cent of all facial defects,” he added.

Pointing out that this process of putting a silicon implant in the eye is comparatively new, Dr Ponnumbula Namasivayam, Dean, Stanley Hospital, said, “The artificial shell is usually used for some type of eyeball removal. It is basically a flat eye which is put in the face – something that could not be done in the case of the teacher from UP. The doctors, therefore, took a mould of his face and used wax on that to create an eyeball. With the help of customisation, the shape and colour are made to match with the patient’s natural eye ball, making it look no different.”

A procedure used solely for cosmetic purposes, it helps boost the morale of one who has lost his eye. “This rare procedure generally costs over Rs 50,000 but is done for free in government hospitals,”said Namasivayam.