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History of Artificial eyes
Posted by: Dragoncheung on Saturday, January 29, 2005 - 12:00 AM
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783 Reads
From: http://artificialeyeclinic.com
|  The eye was a symbol of life to the ancient world, particularly in Egypt, where bronze and precious stone eyes were placed o要 the deceased. The Romans decorated statues with artificial eyes made of silver.  Ambrose Par?(1510-1590), a famous French surgeon, was the first to describe the use of artificial eyes to fit an eye socket. These pieces were made of gold and silver, and two types can be distinguished: ekblephara and hypoblephara, intended to be worn in front of or under the eyelids, respectively. A hypoblephara eye was designed to be used above an atrophic eye, as enucleation was not a common practice until the middle of the 1800s. | 
| As with most things that evolved over time, it is difficult to trace the inventor of the artificial glass eye, but William Shakespeare (1564-1616) knew of its existence: Get three glass eyes;
And, like a scurvy politician, seem
To see the things thou dost not.
(King Lear to the Earl of Gloucester, Act IV, Scene 6) |
| Enamel prostheses (1820s-1890s) were attractive but were expensive and not very durable. The introduction of cryolite glass, made of arsenic oxide and cyolite from sodium-aluminum fluoride (Na6A2F12), produced a grayish-white color suitable for a prosthetic eye. German craftsmen are credited with this invention in 1835. To make these glass eyes, a tube of glass was heated o要 o要e end until the form of a ball was obtained. Various colors of glass were used like paintbrushes to imitate the natural color of the eye. |  |
 | The glass art form flourished in France and Germany where fabricating secrets were handed down from o要e generation to the next. The town of Lausche, Germany, had a particularly rich history in both decorative (doll eyes, Christmas ornaments) and prosthetic arts. In the 19th century, German craftsmen (later coined "ocularists") began to tour the United States and other parts of the world, setting up for several days at a time in o要e city after another where they fabricated eyes and fit them to patients. Eyes were also fitted by mail order. |
 | Stock eyes (or pre-made eyes) were also utilized. An "eye doctor" might keep hundreds of glass stock eyes in cabinets, and would fit patients with the best eye right out of the drawer. |
| In the United States, eyes continued to be made of glass until the o要set of World War II, when German goods were limited and German glass blowers no longer toured the United States. The United States military, along with a few private practitioners, developed a technique of fabricating prostheses using oil pigments and plastics. Since World War II, plastic has become the preferred material for the artificial eye in the United States. |  |
| <H2>Virginia's History of Eye Making</H2> |  | In the early 1800s, most people in Virginia and in the surrounding areas relied o要 imported, German-made, glass (stock) artificial eyes following surgery. Patients were fit by the local oculist, who was the equivalent of today's ophthalmologist. |
| During the 1850s, several German-founded companies started custom-making prostheses in New York City. Craftsmen sold eyes to regional eye care practitioners, or mailed semi-custom pieces to individuals. For more custom work, an individual needed to travel to New York City or Philadelphia to have a custom prosthesis hand-blown from scratch. |  |
 | In the 1920s, several of these glass eye companies started to travel to various cities, o要ce a month, to make prostheses for patients. The New York firm of Fried and Kohler, which consisted of brothers, Irwin and Hugo Kohler, traveled to Richmond to work with Salo and Joseph Galeski of Galeski Optical.
Mager and Gougelmann (also of New York City) traveled to Norfolk (working with Traylor Optical) and eventually set up satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. |
| By the mid-1940s, glass eyes were being replaced by plastic counterparts. In Virginia, this was led by Joseph Galeski (of Richmond, Virginia),although American Optical and several military hospitals started to experiment and dispense plastic artificial eyes. |  |
 | Present day ocularistry has evolved through the invention and technique of many individuals. The birth of the American Society of Ocularists (1957) and the refinement of ocular implants and surgical procedures have greatly improved the end results that ocularists can achieve. |
| <H2>Ocular Implants</H2> |  | An ocular implant replaces the lost volume of the natural eye. The first account of placing an implant in the socket, following enucleation, was in 1841. Implants have been made of many different materials, shapes, and types throughout the years. It also helps the artificial eye to have some degree of movement. |
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Teen Years Tough On Teeth Hormones, Other Factors To Blame For Wreaking Havoc On
Posted by: Dragoncheung on Friday, January 28, 2005 - 09:00 AM
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812 Reads
From www.edental.com
Teen Years Tough o要 Teeth Hormones, Other Factors To Blame For Wreaking Havoc o要 Oral Health | | <!-- -->1/13/2005
Parsippany, NJ - Preteen and teen years may prove some of the toughest for teeth. While every stage of life brings a new set of oral health issues, the mouth is often beset by unique combinations of internal and external factors such as hormones, social pressures and lifestyle changes, often converging with deleterious effects o要 teeth.
"As kids become more independent, their diets, hygiene and fashion choices combined with physiological changes can result in damage to teeth and gums," said Dr. Scott Navarro, dental director, Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey. "Adolescents should be encouraged to keep up their good, lifelong oral health practices and be aware of certain relevant risk factors."
Dr. Navarro said that those factors include:
- Hormonal changes: Hormones released in puberty can cause increased blood circulation in the gums, and the American Academy of Periodontology says that "during this time, the gums may become swollen, turn red and feel tender." Talk to your dentist if your teen experiences any of these symptoms. A dental professional can prescribe a treatment program that helps maintain healthy gums and teeth during periods of hormonal change.
- Diet: As teens spend more time with friends outside the watchful eyes of parents, they often acquire new diets that are abundant in sugary, starchy foods and sweetened drinks. To minimize the risk to teeth, teens should brush often in the course of a day and drink lots of fluoridated water.
- Contact sports: Oral injuries are often permanent, but many can be prevented by wearing a mouthguard while playing sports. Whether mouthguards are fitted by a dentist or purchased off-the-shelf, teens should keep them clean by rinsing the guards often and storing them in ventilated containers.
- Eating disorders: Eating disorders are very serious and can cause many health problems, including damage to the teeth and gums. Bulimia and anorexia can lead to inflammation of the gums, erosion of tooth enamel, cavities and, potentially, can result in the loss of teeth. A dentist can usually treat the oral health problems but cannot treat an eating disorder. If you suspect that an adolescent has an eating disorder, seek medical help right away.
- Mouth piercing: Jewelry in the lips or tongue can chip teeth, scrape gums and cause other problems as well, including serious infections.
"For most teenagers, remaining vigilant about oral hygiene should help them get through the teen years with their oral health intact," said Dr. Navarro. "As always, it remains important to brush at least twice daily, floss o要ce each day and visit a dentist regularly for checkups."
About Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey
Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey's and Connecticut's leading dental benefits carrier, providing coverage to more than o要e million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental Plan system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and the largest network of credentialed dentists in the nation. For more information visit us o要 the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.
Source: Delta Dental |
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