PGI develops rapid prosthetic eye protocol for paediatric eye cancer
A custom artificial eye can now be fitted within 24 hours in children with retinoblastoma: PGI study
The PGI team developed a new Examination Under Anaesthesia (EUA)-based protocol that enables doctors to take an impression of the eye socket while the child is under anaesthesia. (File Photo) Doctors at the PGI, Chandigarh, have developed a new technique that allows customised artificial eyes to be fitted in children within 24 hours after surgical removal of the eye, offering faster rehabilitation for young retinoblastoma patients, according to a PGI communique.
The research, conducted by the institute’s Department for Oral Health Sciences Centre and Advanced Eye Centre, focuses on children suffering from retinoblastoma, a rare but aggressive eye cancer in children, in which removal of the affected eye is often necessary to save life.
Conventionally, fitting an ocular prosthesis in infants and toddlers is a lengthy and difficult process, as young children are often unable to cooperate during examination and socket measurements. This frequently leads to multiple hospital visits and delays in rehabilitation, it said.
To address this, the PGI team developed a new Examination Under Anaesthesia (EUA)-based protocol that enables doctors to take an impression of the eye socket while the child is under anaesthesia, during the same treatment session. The process also allows early initiation of customised ocular prosthesis fabrication, significantly reducing treatment time.
The study included five children aged between six months and three years and 11 months, who required prosthetic rehabilitation after enucleation surgery. Doctors customised the artificial eyes to match the colour, size and facial profile of the unaffected eye, achieving better cosmetic outcomes and maintaining facial symmetry, according to the communique.
According to researchers, the prosthetic eyes closely resembled natural eyes in most cases, with satisfactory cosmetic results.
The study, carried out by Dr Bhawna Wadhwa, Dr Sudhir Bhandari, Dr Usha Singh, Dr Manisha Khanna and Dr Sandeep Singh, says, “The new protocol can substantially reduce the emotional and logistical burden on families already dealing with childhood cancer treatment. Faster prosthetic rehabilitation may also help improve the child’s psychological and social development by restoring a near-normal appearance at an early age.”
The researchers said the technique could emerge as an important step towards early prosthetic rehabilitation for paediatric patients with eye cancer, while minimising repeated hospital visits and prolonged procedures.
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