The routine removal of the prosthesis at night is no longer doctor recommended unless there are special problems such as excessive discharge or discomfort. The accepted current advice is that if it isn't bothering you, leave it alone.

If and when you do remove your prosthesis, make certain it is kept in water so that any secretions that may have built up on the surface will not dry and become an irritant.   If you have a spare or duplicate eye, it should be kept in a watertight container filled with a preserved saline contact lens solution to avoid drying out and possible delaminating. However, if the eye is new and has not been worn it may be stored dry.

Storage in strong solutions should be avoided to prevent absorption of these fluids by the plastic.

 

The frequency of cleaning your prosthesis is an area in which many ocularists and ophthalmologists do not agree. Some recommend their patients remove the prosthesis at regular intervals, perhaps on a daily basis, for cleaning.

Others feel that handling the prosthesis only when necessary will minimize infection in the socket, resulting in less discharge and buildup of eye secretions.

You will undoubtedly determine from your own experience the best interval for cleaning your prosthesis. Some patients do not remove their prosthesis between yearly cleanings and polishing by the ocularist; others find a weekly, monthly or bi-monthly cleaning necessary or more comfortable.

Before removing your prosthesis first wash and rinse your hands thoroughly. Hold the palm of one hand below the eye your removing to catch it.  Depress the lower lid and pull down and outward away from your nose with the index finger of the other hand so that the bottom edge of the prosthesis slides out of the socket and into your hand. You may also want to consider using a suction cup to remove the eye. To do this, wash and rinse your hands thoroughly and moisten the tip of a prosthetic suction cup in water.

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