Our Pediatric Prostheses are Tailored to Accommodate the Special Needs of Our Growing Patients

Artificial Ear Fitting Process for Children

If you have child that was born with an ear that did not fully form, mostly known as Microtia, you may want to consider having a custom prosthesis made. At Center for Custom Prosthetics, we are committed to providing our patients with high-quality, lasting prosthetics. We can create both partial and complete ear prosthetics, depending on the needs.

The prosthetic ear process typically involves the following steps:

• Initial evaluation to discuss your goals
• Creating a prosthetic prototype
• Creating an impression of the ear
• Creating a final silicone prosthetic

Our top priority is using prosthetics technology to improve your life.

Microtia means “small ear” and occurs in approximately 1:6000-12,000 births. Microtia is congenital (at birth) and can affect one or both ears. Any child born with Microtia should be evaluated at a Craniofacial Center to rule out other conditions like hemi-facial microsomia or Treacher Collins syndrome

Currently no specific gene has been identified to cause this condition. Several medications have been associated with microtia, but this is hard to prove. One hypothesis is that a small blood vessel (stapedial artery) obliterates or bleeds near the developing ear, causing decreased flow of cells important in ear development.

Children can usually hear even through the outer ear if not present, as the inner ear is normally formed. Most children lose about 40-50% of their hearing. However, children do well relatively normal speedh development because the contralateral ear is normal. The main problem children with microtia have is in localizing sound.

Microtia is divided into four classifications based on how the ear is affected:

Artificial Eye Fitting Process for Children

At approximately 4-6 weeks following enucleation the process begins with a consultation, which provides an opportunity for your child to become comfortable with our ocularist. Since children are usually apprehensive, we find it helpful to provide them a brief and simple explanation of what will be done during the visit.

It is common to expect three to four visits for the initial prosthesis. We design the fitting technique to match the individual needs of the child. In most cases, the ocularist makes an impression mold of the eye socket. Once the prosthesis is completed, an appointment is scheduled for a return visit in 3 months. This is mainly due to growth and color changes during the first years of like. It is often possible to enlarge your child’s current prosthesis, if only minor changes rare required. This defers the need for a completely new prosthetic eye for at least some period of time. After approximately age 3, follow-up visit to the ocularist can be reduced to every 6 months.

Eye prosthetics for children demand and deserves the utmost care and attention. We take pride in our extensive experience and skill with children. In working with children, we adopt a team approach. It is important for the parents, ocularist, and ophthalmologist to have open communication relating to the care and treatment of the child. We encourage the parents to contact us prior to the first visit concerning any questions related to the care of their child.