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If seeing is believing, life for one patient at Canberra Microsurgery has improved beyond all recognition.
The patient, a man in his 70s, recently underwent a procedure to insert an artificial iris implant.
The delicate eye operation was performed by Associate Professor Andrew White.
He said while the surgery itself was "not terribly common", advances in technology had made it more accessible.
"The first attempt at something like this was actually in the 1950s," A/Prof White said.
"But the material for this surgery, called Customflex, was approved in 2018, so it's relatively new.
"Basically, it's made of silicone, and you roll up it and inject it into the eye with a syringe. It unfolds and then it's held in place by the remnant of the natural iris."
The iris is the coloured part of the eye that controls how much light goes through the pupil, by widening or contracting.
It can be damaged through procedures such as cataract surgery, or by trauma.
"The patient had cataract surgery, which resulted in damage to the iris, and his pupil was off-centre as well," A/Prof White said.
"His principal problem was glare, and that problem has now largely gone – the patient is very pleased.
"With the natural iris, we're meant to only see out of that one 'hole' basically, but if there's damage to the iris, there's several holes, and that will result in issues with glare and double vision.
"The Customflex implant covers those extra holes – like a really good pair of sunglasses – and you don't have those problems anymore."
The implant does not change the patient's level of sight but, as well as reducing issues like glare and double vision, it improves the look of the eye.
"Cosmetically, it looks much better," A/Prof White said.
"For this patient, no longer having to explain why his eye looked 'like that' is part of why he's so happy – he just feels much better.
"The implants even come with a colour swatch, like choosing paint colours."
A/Prof White said he expected the iris implant procedure to increase in popularity.
"The outcomes are now generally much better, and once patients overcome that natural barrier to this kind of surgery, I think it will certainly become more common," he said.
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