British man given 3D printed eye in world first, hospital says

She had some form of meningitis that caused her to lose it. The prosthetic eye she had was the best they could do at the time(1901). The disease derailed her whole life; she'd been a freshman at University of Chicago, intending to study medicine, and had to drop out. I really don't know the whole story as I got it third hand from my brother who heard it from our uncle. I suspect she may have been on scholarship of some kind. But she was a prodigious reader and pushed her sons to get their educations. When I knew her she read at least two newspapers daily and followed national news faithfully. I didn't know about the prosthetic eye until after her death; I just thought she had a droopy eyelid. This would have made a great difference to her.

but this one will look more realistic. None of them "see" for their owners....yet. One day......

... but upon looking it up, prosthetic does seem to have a broader meaning than I thought.

Functionality doesn't seem to be necessary, at least for this definition.

pros·thet·ics
/präsˈTHedik/
adjective: prosthetic

1.
denoting an artificial body part, such as a limb, a heart, or a breast implant.
"he wears prosthetic legs because his own were amputated"
denoting a material designed to alter a person's physical appearance temporarily.
"an actor transformed by layers of prosthetic makeup"



cos·met·ic
/käzˈmedik/
adjective: cosmetic

involving or relating to treatment intended to restore or improve a person's appearance.