Ocularist Christina Leitzel, a board-certified professional in Portland, Oregon, is producing prosthetic eyes that feature non-traditional designs alongside standard medical replacements. While traditional ocular prosthetics are manufactured to match a patient's natural eye, Leitzel's "fun eyes" include designs such as glitter, color-shifting pigments, portraits, and animal-inspired irises.
The prosthetic process typically involves a custom acrylic shell fitted over a surgically implanted sphere. This implant, often made of porous material to allow for tissue integration, enables the prosthetic to move in synchronization with the wearer's remaining eye. Leitzel stated that about half of her practice still focuses on creating traditional matches, but she noted an increasing interest in prosthetics used for personal expression.
Patients interviewed by PBS News reported varying motivations for choosing customized designs. Rachel Yee, who lost an eye to cancer in infancy, stated that wearing a gold iris shifted her focus from trying to make others comfortable to personal preference. Another patient, Bree, who lost her eye to ocular melanoma, commissioned a prosthetic modeled after her pet to reflect her personal style. Dan Roche, author of "Eyes by Hand," noted that the relationship between patients and ocularists is often defined by the intersection of medical necessity and artistic restoration.