While most eye diseases are treatable, some conditions like accidents or tumors can lead to irreversible vision loss and eye removal, impacting patients’ social confidence. Artificial eyes are crucial for these patients to maintain their self-assured lifestyle. Off-the-shelf ocular prosthetics often lack realism. To address this, Thammasat University’s ophthalmologists and dentists created “3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery.” This innovation uses 3D printing and photographic imaging to produce personalized, realistic ocular prosthetics in a single day, eliminating long waits for patients.
“3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery” is the result of the efforts of the Artificial Eye Center team at Thammasat University, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakchai Wongkittiruk (M.D.), Dr. Waraporn Mitsantisuk, an ophthalmologist, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Jitpimol Siriphan, a dentist. This work has successfully won the JDIE Best Invention Award at the Japan Design, Idea and Invention Expo held in Tokyo, Japan, competing against over 366 entries from 25 countries. In addition, it has also been able to receive numerous prestigious awards, such as the Gold Medal from the World Invention Intellectual Property Associations and the NRCT Special Award from the National Research Office, among others.
Create a realistic ‘artificial eye’ within one day.
Ocular prosthetics can be categorized into two types: ready-made prosthetics and custom prosthetics. The process of creating custom prosthetics originally involved several steps, including the initial printing of the eye socket, fitting of the clear glass eye, marking the position of the pupil, and applying color to the sclera and iris to achieve a realistic appearance that closely resembles the patient’s natural eye. This craftsmanship requires varying levels of skill and time. Therefore, the innovation of “3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery” utilizes technology to enhance aesthetics, reduce the time required for production, and improve the ability to predict the outcome with precision.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Jitpimol, a faculty member of the Faculty of Dentistry at Thammasat University, explained that this innovation combines 3D printing to create a sclera-like piece from a patient’s eye socket scan and a photography technique to apply the image onto it. This multi-step process for personalized prosthetic eyes is reduced to just 4 hours. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakchai further stated that the limitation is that it previously took months, or even several months, to obtain a custom prosthetic eye. This is due to the need for various molds and steps in the process, as well as the skill of the prosthetic eye maker in replicating the appearance of the other eye. While it may be an improvement over traditional ready-made prosthetic eyes, achieving a lifelike beauty requires both science and artistry, making the results difficult to predict. This has led to the innovation we see today. Currently, we observe a significant use of 3D printing technology in the medical field, including its application in dentistry for creating dentures for patients.
Thammasat Researchers: Innovators for Society
Thammasat University, a pillar of society, educates quality graduates and supports research and innovation to address social issues. The university is currently aligning faculty and student research with pressing needs to create tangible societal benefits. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sakchai emphasized that universities, beyond teaching, must generate practical research and innovations that improve quality of life. This specific innovation aims to empower visually impaired patients to live confidently.
The innovation “3D Printed Customized Ocular Prosthesis in One Visit Delivery” has been implemented at Thammasat University Hospital since the beginning of 2025. Currently, there are over 10 patients utilizing ocular prostheses from this innovation. The feedback received indicates increased happiness and confidence in social interactions among the patients. In the future, this innovation will be developed to reduce the time required for creating ocular prostheses, making them more aesthetically realistic, and enhancing public access to the services provided by this innovation.