British man given 3D printed eye in world first, hospital says
(CNN)A British man has become the first patient in the world to be fitted with a 3D printed eye, according to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
Steve Verze, who is 47 and an engineer from Hackney, east London, was given the left eye on Thursday and first tried it for size earlier this month.
Moorfields Eye Hospital said in a press release Thursday that the prosthetic is the first fully digital prosthetic eye created for a patient.
The eye is more realistic than other alternatives, and is designed to have "clearer definition and real depth to the pupil," the hospital said.
Other prosthetic eyes consist of an iris hand-painted onto a disc that is then embedded into the eye socket.
However, their design prevents light from passing into the "full depth" of the eye, the hospital added in the release.
As well as appearing more realistic, the procedure is considered less invasive.
Fitting traditional prosthetics requires a mold to be taken of the eye socket, whereas in 3D prosthetic eye development the socket is scanned digitally to create a detailed image.
Verze's functional eye was also scanned to ensure both eyes look the same.
Potential to cut waiting times 'in half'
The 3D image was then sent to Germany to be printed before being shipped back to the UK, where it was finished and polished by a Moorfields Eye Hospital ocularist.
"I've needed a prosthetic since I was 20, and I've always felt self conscious about it," Verze was quoted as saying in the press release.
"When I leave my home I often take a second glance in the mirror, and I've not liked what I've seen. This new eye looks fantastic and, being based on 3D digital printing technology, it's only going to be better and better," he added.
Moorfields Eye Hospital said 3D printing had the potential to "cut in half" the time it takes to develop a prosthetic eye, from six weeks to around two or three.
A spokesperson told CNN a clinical trial involving more patients would soon begin.
Professor Mandeep Sagoo, clinical lead for the project at Moorfields Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology and ocular oncology at University College London, said in a statement he was "excited" about the potential of the new development method.
Speaking ahead of the eye being fitted, Sagoo said: "We hope the forthcoming clinical trial will provide us with robust evidence about the value of this new technology, showing what a difference it makes for patients."
医院称英国男子世界首创3D打印眼
（美国有线电视新闻网）据伦敦摩尔菲尔德眼科医院称，一名英国男子已成为世界上第一位配备 3D 打印眼睛的患者。
Steve Verze，47 岁，来自伦敦东部哈克尼的工程师，周四获得了左眼，并在本月早些时候首次尝试了它的大小。
Moorfields 眼科医院周四在一份新闻稿中表示，该假肢是第一个为患者打造的全数字义眼。
医院表示，眼睛比其他替代品更逼真，旨在“对瞳孔具有更清晰的定义和真实的深度”。
其他义眼包括手绘在圆盘上的虹膜，然后将其嵌入眼窝。
然而，医院在新闻稿中补充说，他们的设计可以防止光线进入眼睛的“全部深度”。
除了看起来更逼真外，该手术被认为侵入性更小。
安装传统义肢需要对眼窝进行模具制作，而在 3D 义眼开发中，对眼窝进行数字扫描以创建详细图像。
Verze 的功能性眼睛也进行了扫描，以确保两只眼睛看起来一样。
将等待时间“减半”的潜力
然后将 3D 图像发送到德国进行打印，然后运回英国，在那里由 Moorfields 眼科医院的眼科医生完成和抛光。
“我从 20 岁起就需要一个假肢，我一直对此有自我意识，”新闻稿中引用 Verze 的话说。
“当我离开家时，我经常照镜子，我不喜欢我看到的东西。这只新眼睛看起来棒极了，而且基于 3D 数字打印技术，它只会变得更好和更好，”他补充道。
Moorfields 眼科医院表示，3D 打印有可能将开发义眼所需的时间“缩短一半”，从六周缩短到大约两到三周。
一位发言人告诉 CNN，一项涉及更多患者的临床试验将很快开始。
Moorfields 眼科医院该项目的临床负责人、伦敦大学学院眼科和眼科肿瘤学教授 Mandeep Sagoo 教授在一份声明中表示，他对新开发方法的潜力感到“兴奋”。
在安装眼睛之前，Sagoo 说：“我们希望即将进行的临床试验将为我们提供关于这项新技术价值的有力证据，展示它对患者的影响。”
