Ocularists

What Do You Need To Know AboutYour Visit With An Ocularist?

If you need a prosthetic eye or a scleral shell, there’s a good chance that you’ve been doing a bit of research about prosthetics and ocularists in your area. The team at Artificial Eyes are leaders in ocular prosthetics and we’re here to let you know what you can expect from a visit to a prosthetic eye specialist. If you finish this article and want to make an appointment with an ocularist, give the Artificial Eyes team a call today.

How To Prepare For An Appointment With An Ocular Specialist

Depending on your individual situation, a visit to an ocularist might be exciting or nerve-wracking. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your appointment with the Artificial Eyes team.

• Do your homework. Go online and learn more about your ocular specialist. It sometimes helps to learn a bit about the person making your custom prosthetic.
• Have your questions ready. We understand you’ll probably have a whole lot of questions to ask us, and we’re ready to answer them! So write down everything you’d like to know, and we’ll make sure you leave your appointment feeling confident and informed.
• If the appointment is for a child, let them know what to expect. We want your child to know we’re there to help them and make them feel better, but if they have no context for the visit, a trip to the prosthetic eye specialist can be very scary. So make sure you explain to your child what we do, how we plan to help them, and let them know they can ask as many questions as they need to feel comfortable.

What To Expect From Your Appointments

It can help ease the nerves if you know exactly what to expect from your appointment with a prosthetic eye specialist.

• Initial appointment (1-1.5 hours). During your first appointment, you’ll get a chance to have a chat with your ocularist and voice all your questions and concerns. From there, we’ll assess your eye socket and create an impression that accurately contours and manipulates the anopthalmic socket. We paint your iris at this appointment to get a perfect colour match.
• After your first appointment. We’ll carefully hand-craft your prosthetic to match the iris, colour, scleral tinting, and veining of your companion eye.
• Second appointment (45mins-1hour). After checking the colour, we’ll fit your prosthesis and make any necessary adjustments. If another appointment is required, we’ll let you know during this appointment. We’ll teach you how to insert and remove your artificial eye, and we’ll go through the process of cleaning the prosthesis. After this appointment, you’re free to leave and enjoy your natural-looking eye.
• Check-ups and cleaning. You’ll need to come back and visit your ocularist every 6-12 months so we can clean off any proteins and irritants and give your eye a good polish. Regular maintenance will keep it looking glossy and like-like.

Meet Our Team Of Ocularists

Here at the Artificial Eyes, you’ll be well attended to by our team of highly experienced ocularists. With years of training and interaction with clients, our ocular specialists, Jennifer and Annette, are dedicated to making your prosthesis fitting as smooth and as comfortable as possible.

Jennifer Hebel.  Jennifer is used to working with people. Coming from a counselling background, she takes a hands-on approach with her clients, ensuring each consultation is conducted with accuracy and professionalism. Currently furthering her study as a prosthetic specialist at USC. She’s spent time in clinics in Australia and Canada, observing and upskilling wherever she can. She has completed her studies as an ophthalmic assistant and is passionate about creating the perfect prosthesis for her clients. Jennifer understands the importance of receiving a prosthetic and works closely with each of her clients to ensure they receive a product of which they can be proud.

Annette Watts.  Our ocularist Annette has learned from the best. With years of training alongside our very own Trevor Dorahy, she has truly found her passion. Annette is the best in the business, bringing skills from her business and customer service background and combining them with her fantastic eye for detail and flair for design and colour; her clients leave satisfied every time. What makes Annette so unique is her care and compassion for her clients. Her favourite part of the job is the moments she gets to interact and learn about others — an experience Annette says is detrimental to being a successful and thorough ocularist. Annette is a self-confessed sponge when it comes to all things prosthetics, spending time working in clinics all around Australia pulling only the best techniques and skills and applying them to her own work, so you’re guaranteed a professional appointment every time.