Artificial eyes can be so convincing that even optometrists sometimes don’t spot them initially when a patient comes in for a sight test on their remaining eye.

Around 11,500 artificial eyes are produced every year in the UK. They have been made at the National Artificial Eye Service (NAES) since 1948, at around 30 local artificial eye services and by a handful of independent ocularists (Gout et al, 2022). 

For centuries, prostheses have been hand-painted to match the fine details of the iris and sclera of the remaining eye. But advances in 3D printing hold out hope of speeding up production.