How to Clean a Prosthetic Eye
A prosthetic eye requires daily cleaning for hygienic reasons and to keep the eye in the best shape. This is necessary whether the eye is glass or plastic. One of the main rules for cleaning a prosthetic eye is gentleness. Both glass eyes or plastic eyes may be damages if you wipe or scrub them with rough materials, including wash cloths.
Things You'll Need
- Mild soap
- Towel
- 2 Bowls
- Facial tissue
- Contact cleaning solution
- Sterile saline eyewash
- Eye lubricant drops
- 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
- Baking soda
- Spoon
Instructions
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Soap And Water
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Wash your hands with soap and water before handling your prosthetic eye. After washing your hands, place a towel in your sink basin, as suggested by Carolina Eye Prosthetics. This provides cushion in case you drop the eye into the sink during cleaning.
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Remove the eye according to your physician's directions and place it in a bowl of warm water or contact cleaning solution. Rinse discharge from your eye socket with sterile saline eye solution or the solution recommended by your doctor.
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Wet your hands and apply a mild soap to your fingers. Pick the eye out of the bowl. Use your fingers only to rub the prosthetic eye clean with the soap. Carolina Eye Prosthetics advises against using any kind of cloth to clean a prosthetic eye--cloths will dull the polished surface.
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Rinse the eye beneath warm water running from your faucet. Pat the prosthetic eye dry with a facial tissue--this way you can easily check to see if any residue remains on the eye. If the eye still appears dull or dirty, you should repeat the soap and water cleaning or use a contact solution (poured and rubbed over the eye) as suggested by Prosthetic Eye Guide.
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Replace the eye while it is still wet. Add lubricating eye drops to the prosthetic eye after you've placed it back in the socket.
Peroxide And Baking Soda
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Wash your hands with soap and water before handling your prosthetic eye. Remove the prosthetic eye and place it in a clean bowl. Pour 3 percent peroxide (3 percent is the first aid strength) over the eye, covering it entirely, as suggested by Prosthetic Eye Guide. This method is for heavily soiled prosthetic eyes that resist soap and water cleaning.
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Leave the eye to soak for a few hours. Prosthetic Eye Guide recommends leaving it overnight.
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Fill another bowl with cool water. Add ½ tsp. of baking soda and stir with a spoon so the baking soda dissolves in the water.
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Place a towel in your sink. Remove the prosthetic eye from the hydrogen peroxide and rinse it off under the sink faucet.
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Place the eye in the bowl of baking soda/water mixture. Leave it for half an hour, as advised by Prosthetic Eye Guide.
Remove the eye from the solution and wipe it gently with a facial tissue. Rinse it off beneath the faucet and re-insert it into your eye socket. Apply lubricating drops once it is in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Artificial Eyes warns against using alcohol or other harsh chemicals when cleaning glass or plastic eyes.
