Prosthetic eyes seen as family trade
In his Tarzana office, John Stolpe, a third-generation ocularist, holds one of many prostheses he makes for patients who have lost eyes or suffered eye damage. His grandfather was on a team of Army doctors who developed fake eyes during World War II. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
A collection of old artificial eyes in Stolpe’s office in Tarzana. He’s working on techniques to make eyes designed for affordability and widespread access. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Stolpe watches as his father, John C. Stolpe, a retired research engineer, works on creating molds in the development of digital technology at Advanced Artificial Eyes in Tarzana. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Stolpe displays a tray of color-matched irises for use in prosthetic eyes. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Stolpe holds a finished prosthetic eye next to a eye in the process of being molded. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
A collection of orbital eye implants used from the early 1940s to the 1990s. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)