Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504200013
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEWART MacINNIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES &WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And they are not reluctant to refer patients to the small office next to the Breadbasket Restaurant on Salem Avenue in New Castle. It is there that Henderlite painstakingly handcrafts artificial eyes for patients throughout the region.
``This is a lifetime proposition,'' Henderlite says of his vocation. ``You can never know enough. There is always something new every day.''
After 41 years as an ocularist, Henderlite says he is always stretching his knowledge, always reaching for new levels of creativity, and even receiving divine inspiration at times.
If he is as successful as he hopes - and he says he almost always is - no one will ever notice his work. That is because he is constantly striving to make an artificial eye indistinguishable from a real eye.
``People are very self-conscious of their appearance when they have an artificial eye,'' says Henderlite's wife, Ressa, who helps run his office. ``If it's done right, most people never know someone has one. You'd be surprised how many people have an artificial eye.''
By the time Henderlite sees a patient, an ophthalmologist has already ministered to his or her physical needs. Henderlite considers his job no less important. He prepares the patient for a return to society by restoring his or her appearance and self-confidence.
The physician replaces an eye with an ocular implant. In the past, these were made of glass, gold or silicone. They were sometimes rejected by the body and did not provide convincing eye movement.
For 10 years, more and more implants have been made from coral harvested from the sea and chemically treated to duplicate the calcium phosphate that produces human bone. A patient's tissue and blood vessels grow into these implants, incorporating them into the body. The physician then attaches the muscles controlling eye movement to the implant.
It is Henderlite's job to make and attach to the unsightly implant a concave plastic disk that is crafted to match the patient's good eye in appearance. He then pegs the disk to the implant, so the movement of the implant is transferred to the artificial eye.
``Motility is absolutely required to restore people to society again,'' Henderlite says. ``The movement is perfect. You can't detect any difference in movement.''
Henderlite's task might sound simple, but the process requires patience, skill and craftsmanship.
As a temporary measure after surgery, and sometimes as a permanent measure, Henderlite uses mass-produced plastic eyes made in various sizes and colors. A reasonable fit and a reasonable color match can usually be made with the prefabricated eyes.
Henderlite prefers to custom-make artificial eyes, crafting them for individual patients.
He paints the iris on a curved plastic lens which has a pupil fused on the back. As many as 20 coats of paint may be needed to reproduce all the striations of color found in the patient's good eye.
He then takes an impression of the patient's implant and eye socket, much as a dentist makes an impression of a patient's teeth. From the impression, he makes a mold in which he places the iris at the proper location. Then he pours white plastic into the mold, tinting the plastic to match the color of the white of the patient's good eye.
When the eye comes out of the mold, he cements tiny, red plastic threads on the surface to simulate the vein pattern of the eye. Finally, a thin layer of clear plastic is placed over the eye, smoothly sealing it and giving the appearance of the corneal dome of the human eye.
It's a laborious process, but one Henderlite has found rewarding since stumbling into the vocation in 1954.
In 1981, Henderlite moved from Richmond to Roanoke and established a practice in the Medical Arts Building on Franklin Road. In 1990, he moved to New Castle.
Henderlite considers himself one of the old guard of eye fitters. He taught his brother the trade, and he often assists a nephew who has a practice in Charlotte. With only about 170 ocularists practicing nationwide, Henderlite says it is almost a calling.
All of Henderlite's patients are referred to him by eye-care professionals. He keeps the physicians informed of what he does for a patient, as well as referring patients back to physicians if he detects any medical problems. Insurance covers the cost of most of his services.
Henderlite Inc. is on Salem Avenue in New Castle. The telephone number is (703) 864-6599.
by CNB