Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology papers: (PDF)
Factors affecting mucoid discharge associated with artificial eye wear
Concerns of anophthalmic patients wearing artificial eyes
Factors Affecting Artificial Eye Wear
Keith Pine commenced his MSc programme with the Department of Optometry and Vision Science in March 2009
and has conducted two pieces of experimental work with private patients under University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee approval. The first experiment was a survey of patients to identify concerns that
artificial eye wearers had. The results of this first part of the project - a paper submitted to the journal
Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology on 31st March 2010 - identified that the health of their remaining eye
was the major concern.
The second most important concern was the watering, crusting and discharge associated with wearing their prosthesis. In the second experiment age, hand washing, removal and cleaning regimes, shape and weight of
the prosthesis and deposit formation were investigated having the potential to affect artificial eye wear.
The results from this experiment are currently being anaysed.
2010 Research
The research which began as a MSc project has now been upgraded to a full PhD study. The 2010 research will broaden the work commenced as part of the MSc project to a wider NZ population. It will continue to address the
gaps in the literature by determining the baseline characteristics of anophthalmic patients in New Zealand. It will
then develop tools to measure socket response, including discharge. The study will then go on to investigate factors that affect the socket response and the build up of deposits and possibly bio-film on the prosthesis. The outcome
will be an analysis of the factors that influence the quality of life of artificial eye wearers and an understanding of
how these factors interact under various conditions of artificial eye wear.
If you wear an artificial eye and would like to participate in original research please contact Keith Pine.