Color Stability of Ocular Prostheses Subjected to Short-Term Tropical Weathering: A Digital Photography Analysis

Background and objective Discoloration of ocular prostheses occurs unpredictably and can reduce their functional service life. Ensuring color stability is essential for maintaining long-term aesthetics and clinical performance. This study evaluated the color stability of acrylic ocular prostheses following short-term outdoor weathering using digital image analysis. A secondary aim was to quantify color changes within the weather-exposed group using digital photography with white balance calibration. Materials and methods Thirty custom acrylic ocular prostheses were fabricated and allocated to two groups: an outdoor-exposed (case) group and a group stored in darkness (control). The case group underwent outdoor weathering for three hours daily over one month. White balance color calibration was performed using a Macbeth color chart. L*, a*, and b* values were obtained from calibrated digital images in Adobe Photoshop (Adobe Inc., San Jose, CA, USA), and color changes (ΔE) were calculated. Independent-samples t-tests assessed differences between groups, while one-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc analysis evaluated variation within the exposed group. Results After one month, ΔE values showed no significant difference between the case and control groups (p > 0.05). However, one-way ANOVA revealed significant color variation among the weather-exposed prostheses (p < 0.05). Conclusions Short-term exposure to tropical outdoor conditions was not associated with statistically significant differences in color stability compared with dark-room storage. The observed intragroup variability suggests that factors beyond environmental weathering contribute to color change. Appropriate fabrication techniques appear sufficient to maintain short-term color stability under tropical conditions.