Every artificial eye starts as a clinical need. When a medtech company, a pharmaceutical partner or a training programme needs a model that does not exist yet, we develop it with them, from the first prototype to serial production. This is how custom surgical training model development works at eyecre.at, step by step.
Why custom
When a standard model is not enough
Off-the-shelf training eyes cover the common procedures well. But ophthalmology keeps moving: new techniques, devices, IOLs and instruments need a safe and repeatable way to be practised and demonstrated. A custom model lets you:
Train what standard eyes cannot
A new fixation method, an unusual anatomy or a rare complication.
Demonstrate or validate an instrument
A dedicated platform for an injector, an implant or a new tool.
Run a branded wetlab kit
For a congress, a curriculum or a sales team, under your own name.
Equip many stations identically
The hundredth unit behaves like the first, so every participant gets the same experience.
Process
Our development process in 5 steps
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Discovery and requirements
We start with the clinical goal, not the geometry. Which technique or device must the model support, which tissues matter for realism and which can be simplified? We agree on handling characteristics (how a needle passes, how tissue resists, how a capsule tears), volume, budget, timeline and the success criteria the finished model has to meet.
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Design and CAD
The requirements become a 3D model: wall thickness, internal structures, mounting and the interface with the pad or head holder. Here realism and manufacturability are balanced, because a model that cannot be produced consistently is not a product.
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Prototyping
Prototypes are printed with multi-material PolyJet technology together with our partner Addion, which combines several materials and hardness levels in one part to reproduce the layers of the eye. Each round is tested and refined against the success criteria. This loop is where most of the realism is won.
Building up skin and tissue layers during prototyping. -
Validation
Does the technique work on the model the way it works in surgery? Is the behaviour consistent from unit to unit, and does it hold up in a busy wetlab? For partner projects we gather clinical feedback here, so the final model reflects how surgeons will actually use it.
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Serial production
Once the design is locked, every unit is produced in Austria to the same specification. The product ships as a standalone model, as part of a set or kit, or as a white-label solution under your name.
Examples
Models that started as a custom idea
M.A.R.K.O. LID
Multi-layer eyelid model, built with the Medical University of Innsbruck and Addion.
Read the story
Partners
Who we develop for
| Partner | Typical need |
|---|---|
| MedTech companies | A training or validation platform for a device |
| Pharmaceutical partners | Branded, procedure-specific kits, for example for anti-VEGF programmes (see our IVT guide) |
| Congresses and training programmes | A reproducible model for hands-on courses at scale |
| Product developers | An OEM or white-label model produced to their specification |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can you produce a training model under our brand?
Yes. We produce OEM and white-label models to your specification, as standalone models or complete kits.
How long does custom development take?
It depends on the complexity and the number of prototype rounds. After the discovery step we give you a timeline and the success criteria in writing.
Which technology do you use for prototypes?
Multi-material PolyJet 3D printing, which combines several materials and hardness levels in one part.
Can you build a model to validate a medical device?
Yes. Device-specific platforms for demonstration and validation are one of the main reasons partners come to us.
How do we start a project?
Send a short description of the technique or device and your timeline to request@eyecre.at, or use the contact form. We reply with the next steps.
Have a model that does not exist yet?
Tell us what you want to train or demonstrate: request@eyecre.at
Keep learning
Related guides
The story of the M.A.R.K.O. LID
How a community built a 3D printed eyelid model.
BlogIntravitreal injection training
Technique, models and holders for IVT practice.
BlogVitrectomy wetlab training
The seven PPV steps, mapped to your wetlab.
BlogThe Yamane technique step by step
Six steps, IOL choice and pitfalls of flanged IOL fixation.
We change the world eye per eye at a time. David Ortner, CEO
Not for medical or human use, non-sterile and only for demonstration. All eyecre.at products are artificial training and demonstration equipment. Made in Austria.
