Caring for Your Prosthesis
A step by step guide
1. Never clean or soak your prosthesis in alcohol as it will crack the plastic and destroy the prosthesis.
2. Remove the prosthesis only as necessary. Too much handling can cause irritation and excessive secretions. If you remove your prosthesis, be sure to store it in cool boiled water or soft contact lens saline solution. This will keep deposits from drying on the surface. If your prosthesis has numbers on it, the numbers go up and under the top lid upon reinsertion.
3. When cleaning or wiping the prosthesis, remember to always wipe towards the nose. Wiping away from the nose may dislodge or rotate the prosthesis.
4. To clean your prosthesis, use a mild liquid soap or baby shampoo. Wash the eye between your fingertips. A damp washcloth, cotton ball or a Qtip is also helpful to wipe away softened deposits from the surface.
5. If you need to rinse out the socket, use sterile saline solution. Sterile saline is available at the drugstore and is found in the contact lens solution section of the store.
6. Any eye drops that your doctor may have prescribed for you can be used with the eye in place. It helps to lean your head back in a lounge chair or sofa for a few minutes to allow the drops to reach behind the prosthesis.
7. In most cases, your tear layer will provide all the lubrication necessary. However, if needed, there are lubricating drops available and we can help you select the best lubricant as required. Sometimes eye drops can be very beneficial against dryness, especially on extra dry or windy days.
8. Acrylic materials can absorb fluid. Immersion in disinfectant for a long period of time will cause it to be absorbed into the material resulting in irritation and burning.
9. The prosthesis should be professionally cleaned and polished every six months. Scratches and deposits accumulate over time and may not be smoothed or eliminated except by your ocularist. This will prolong the life of the prosthesis, which is approximately five years for adults and two years for children under nineteen.
