The Evolution of Orbital Implants and Current Breakthroughs in Material Design, Selection, Characterization, and Clinical Use

It is occasionally essential to surgically remove the damaged eye of the patient in the case of serious oculoorbital injuries, intraocular cancers, and other life-threatening diseases. An orbital implant is placed into the anophthalmic socket after the eye is removed to provide adequate volume reinstatement and revamp the cosmetic look of a normal eye. In the previous few decades, implant design and material selection criteria have progressed from basic nonporous polymeric spheres to devices with more complicated shapes and functions to ensure improved long-term clinical results. Because of their highly interconnected porous design, ceramic and polymeric porous implants have found popularity as a passive framework for fibrovascular ingrowth, with lower obstacle rates and the option of setting to improve prosthetic eye mobility. These materials, however, are not without flaws. The danger of migration and extrusion, infections after surgery, and poor motility transferred to the cosmetic ocular prosthesis are important elements of orbital implants of today. As a result, the development of novel biomaterials with improved functionalities (i.e., antibacterial effect, angiogenesis, and in situ moldability) that allow better eye replacement is more desirable than ever, highlighting one of the most challenging aspects of research topics in the field of ocular implants. This study highlights the history of orbital implants. It gives an outline of current advancements in the area, over and above some essential observations for materials design, selection, characterization, and transformation to clinical applications.