I'm not sure what it is about Tom Cruise and cosmetic contact lenses, but he certainly seems to get a lot of mileage out of them. A subconjunctival hemorrhage in Days of Thunder (1990) and freaky undead eyes in Interview with the Vampire (1994) immediately come to mind. His most recent DVD release, Valkyrie (2008), piles on to his impressive resume of ocular special effects.In this historical drama, Cruise plays Claus von Stauffenberg, a disenchanted colonel in Adolf Hitler's army who organizes an assassination attempt on the Fuhrer. Early on in the movie, British fighters strafe Stauffenberg's unit in Tunisia, which leads to his left eye enucleation (removal of the eye), along with some extensive hand injuries. The rest of the movie chronicles Stauffenberg's crafty strategy to blow up Hitler and regain political control of Germany (um, spoiler alert, he fails.)
Along the way, though, fans of ophthalmology see some remarkably accurate representations of ocular prosthetics and the use of eye patches, both the cosmetic "pirate"-type patch, and the therapeutic pressure patch. Unlike the enucleation portrayal in Slumdog Millionaire, Valkyrie gets all the details right. Perhaps the most common misconception I come across is that the ocular prosthetic is the whole eyeball, when in reality, an orbital implant is usually inserted deep in the socket immediately after removal of the eyeball. As far as the prosthetic, here's a description from Will's Eye Hospital:
The cosmetic artificial eye (ocular prosthesis) is a plastic device that is molded to fit between the eyelids over the conjunctiva that covers the ball implant. This prosthesis is generally made two to six weeks after enucleation, in order to allow the socket tissues time to heal adequately. Prior to that time, a thin plastic plate (conformer) is usually worn in place of the prosthesis. This conformer helps to prevent shrinkage of the space between the inner surface of the lids and the conjunctival covering of the ball implant. Until the ocular prosthesis is fitted, the upper eyelid may be droopy. The prosthesis supports the eyelid and generally allows the lids to open and close normally.
OK, enough eyeball talk. Valkyrie got generally panned unfairly by the critics, and I'm not just saying that because of the eye-related content. It portrayed an under-recognized part of World War Two history, was beautifully shot, and managed to maintain some element of mystery and suspense despite viewers knowing about the doomed plot from the outset. My crticisms would be about elements of character development and understanding motives, and my own inability to distinguish some of the main characters and their shifting allegiances. Hey, all those Teutonic Nazi officers look the same to me, what can I say?This one gets a B from me, and worth a look for the eye content alone. Trust me- there's one unforgettable scene with Cruise's prosthetic and a cocktail!
