How the M.A.R.K.O. LID Was Built: Years, Partners and Every Surgeon Who Tested It

Published September 2026 · by David Ortner, CEO and Founder, eyecre.at GmbH

This article was first published on eyecre.at. It appears here because EYELID Training is part of the same story.

The M.A.R.K.O. LID is the 3D printed training model at the centre of EYELID Training. This is how it came to be: how long it took, what it cost, and how many surgeons, anatomists and engineers it needed.

The short version

The M.A.R.K.O. LID is a 3D printed eyelid surgery training model made by eyecre.at in Innsbruck. It started as an idea between eyecre.at and two ophthalmologists in Halle and stalled for lack of funding and of anatomical and technical know-how. It became real through a funded cooperation with the Medical University of Innsbruck and Addion, years of development, and the feedback of every instructor and participant at the LidSUMMIT courses. It is still not finished, and it never will be. What we learned on the way is now open to other specialties.

Eye model with eyelid and syringe, KANTHO LID display cube and M.A.R.K.O. LID training head side by side on a white surface. Training models, no patient. AI-staged from the original photo.
Three generations on one shelf: the eye with an eyelid, the KANTHO LID, and today's M.A.R.K.O. LID.

The M.A.R.K.O. LID at a glance

What it is3D printed, multi-layer training model for eyelid and oculoplastic surgery. M.A.R.K.O. stands for Multi-Layer Anatomical Realistic Kit for Oculoplastics.
Made byeyecre.at GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria
Project partnersInstitute of Clinical and Functional Anatomy, Medical University of Innsbruck; Addion GmbH; Stratasys; University Medicine Halle; the faculty of LidSUMMIT Tirol from university clinics, hospitals and practices; Standortagentur Tirol; OSTERMANN CONSULTING. Everyone named in this article counts as a project partner.
TechnologyMulti-material PolyJet printing on a Stratasys J850 Digital Anatomy printer[10]: more than 50 separately defined volumes per model, printed from 7 base materials that are blended into digital materials during the print, then post-processed by hand with several chemical treatments
First funded projectMay 2022 to April 2024, budget about €245,000, of which about €116,000 from the Tiroler Innovationsförderung[1]
Cost to dateAbout €400,000 by September 2026 across all partners. This is our own estimate, not an audited figure (see below).
Used atLidSUMMIT Tirol, an EACCME accredited hands-on course (March 2025, September 2025, October 2026), 80 course places across the first three editions[3]
Current revisionL3-B1, hands-on tested in September 2026
ProceduresBlepharoplasty, ptosis correction including frontalis sling, ectropion repair with lateral tarsal strip, canthotomy and cantholysis, flap reconstruction, wound closure

It started with an eye that needed a lid

Long before there was a funded project, there was a conversation. Together with Priv.-Doz. Dr. Jens Heichel and Prof. Dr. Arne Viestenz from the University Hospital for Ophthalmology at University Medicine Halle[7], we had the idea that eyelid surgery deserves the same kind of training model that cataract surgery already has.[9]

Two products in our store still tell that early story. The Eyelid 4 Eye puts a simple upper and lower lid onto our training eyes. The KANTHO LID goes one step further and lets emergency physicians and ophthalmologists practise lateral canthotomy and cantholysis, a procedure that saves sight and that almost nobody gets to rehearse.[5]

Then we got stuck. A full eyelid is skin, muscle, tarsus, septum, fat and ligaments in a few millimetres, and each layer behaves differently under a blade. We had no funding for that kind of development, and we did not have the anatomical and technical depth to do it alone. That is not a comfortable sentence to write, but it is true.

The cooperation that made a 3D printed eyelid model possible

What moved the project forward was a partnership. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Marko Konschake, Director of the Institute of Clinical and Functional Anatomy at the Medical University of Innsbruck, brought what we were missing: deep anatomical knowledge and access to the reality our models have to imitate. Addion GmbH, led by Alexander Hechenberger, brought multi-material 3D printing on a Stratasys J850 Digital Anatomy printer and the material expertise that goes with it.[2] We brought engineering, product development and the stubbornness of a small manufacturer.

In November 2022 eyecre.at, Addion and the Medical University of Innsbruck applied together to the Tiroler Innovationsförderung with a project called "Eyelid surgery training model for teaching surgical skills". The Tyrolean state government approved it in February 2023.[1]

Two people made sure a small company found its way through all of this. Roland Fuchs of the Cluster Life Sciences Tirol at Standortagentur Tirol[6] has supported us along the whole way, from the first contacts to the course. And David Ostermann of OSTERMANN CONSULTING helped us turn an idea into funding applications that could be approved.

20+project partners by name, from more than a dozen organisations, plus every course participant
€245kspent by the end of the first funded project in April 2024, €116k of it funded by the State of Tyrol
≈ €400kour estimate of the total by September 2026, all partners together
50+separately defined volumes in one model, printed from 7 base materials

We publish these numbers on purpose. By the time the funded project ended in April 2024, about €245,000 had gone into the model, more than half of it carried by the partners themselves. That paid for the first two years only. It did not pay for the years of conversations before, and development has not stopped for a single month since: new revisions, new materials, two courses and the preparation of a third, a new frame and head. Extrapolating what eyecre.at and Addion spent per month during the project over the 29 months since then, we estimate that the total has reached about €400,000 by September 2026. That is an estimate, not an audited figure, and it does not include the time that surgeons and anatomists gave for free. Anyone who wonders why a realistic surgical training model costs what it costs will find the answer here.

One more correction to the usual picture: three organisations signed the funding application, but the project has far more partners than that. Everyone named in this article is one.

Logo of the State of Tyrol (Land Tirol)

The project "Eyelid surgery training model for teaching surgical skills" was funded by the State of Tyrol through the Tiroler Innovationsförderung.

From donor anatomy to a printed eyelid

The way the model is built follows the partnership. At the Institute of Anatomy, real tissue is the reference: how thick a layer is, how it moves, how it feels under an instrument. At eyecre.at, our engineer Ing. Matthias Erber turns those findings into 3D geometry, layer by layer, and into material combinations that come as close as printing allows. Then it is printed, cut, criticised and redesigned. Many times.

What comes out of the printer today has little in common with the first prototype. The current model consists of more than 50 separately defined volumes: skin, muscle, tarsus, septum, fat compartments, ligaments, vessels and the structures around them, each with its own material recipe. They are printed from 7 different base materials, which is the most a Stratasys J850 Digital Anatomy printer can process in one job.[10] The printer does not simply place these materials next to each other. It blends them droplet by droplet into so-called digital materials, so that hardness, elasticity, colour and transparency can be set separately for every volume, in practically unlimited combinations. Stratasys itself speaks of more than 600,000 colour combinations and more than 300 validated anatomy presets for its Digital Anatomy materials.[10] And printing is not the last step: every model is post-processed by hand, including several chemical treatments that remove support material and tune surface, grip and cutting feel. Much of what we learned over the years is in these recipes and in this finishing, not in the geometry.

Prof. Konschake has described the role of such models in a Stratasys case study[2]: they complement body donor practice and, in his words, "add entirely new dimensions", because a printed model can offer standardised pathologies and tissue behaviour that preserved tissue cannot.

Close view of the printed eyelid of the M.A.R.K.O. LID with brow, skin texture and artificial eye, forceps at the lower lid. Training model. AI-enhanced video still. First cut at the lateral canthus of the M.A.R.K.O. LID training model with scissors and forceps, a small amount of artificial blood. No patient. AI-enhanced video still.
Skin texture, brow, lid margin and the eye behind it: more than 50 volumes from 7 base materials in one print. Right: the first cut of the hands-on test.

The name says thank you and describes the product at the same time. M.A.R.K.O. stands for Multi-Layer Anatomical Realistic Kit for Oculoplastics. And yes, it is also a tribute to the anatomist without whom it would not exist.

Timeline: from first idea to revision L3-B1

  1. Before 2022First idea with Dr. Heichel and Prof. Viestenz in Halle. Eyelid 4 Eye and KANTHO LID emerge. A full eyelid model stalls for lack of funding and know-how.
  2. May 2022Start of the joint project of eyecre.at, Addion and the Medical University of Innsbruck.
  3. November 2022 to February 2023Application to the Tiroler Innovationsförderung and approval by the Tyrolean state government.
  4. April 2024End of the first funded project. Development continues without interruption.
  5. March 2025First LidSUMMIT Tirol. The M.A.R.K.O. LID is used in a course for the first time, next to human specimens.
  6. August 2025Stratasys publishes a case study on the model and the course.
  7. September 2025Second LidSUMMIT. Dr. Emesz starts giving systematic feedback on model and course content.
  8. September 2026Revision L3-B1 is tested hands-on. The images in this article are based on photos from that test.
  9. October 2026Third LidSUMMIT Tirol, sold out, 40 places.

Every surgeon who used it helped build it

Here is the limit of every engineer in this field: we can measure a model, but we can never know what a surgeon feels during an operation, or what else they perceive while they cut. Only they can tell us. That makes every piece of feedback worth gold.

This is why we count the faculty of the LidSUMMIT Tirol among the developers of the model, and after them every single participant.[3] Since March 2025 the model has been used at two editions of the course, side by side with human specimens. The third edition in October 2026 is sold out. Each edition sent us home with a list.

One name has to be mentioned in particular. From the second LidSUMMIT on, Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Martin Emesz, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tauernklinikum Zell am See, gave us a great deal of feedback. Not only on the model itself, but on something we had underestimated: how model and course content have to fit together so that a station actually teaches what it promises.

Surgeon's hands with scissors and forceps working on the M.A.R.K.O. LID training head on a lab bench, instrument tray in the background. Training model with artificial blood, no patient. AI-staged from the original photo.
September 2026: hands-on test of the current revision (AI-staged from the original photo). The red is artificial blood, the tissue is printed.

What the feedback changed in the model

The model on the bench today is revision L3-B1. Compared with the version used at the first course, it supports more procedures, among them ectropion repair with a lateral tarsal strip and ptosis correction with a frontalis sling, and it sits in a new frame and head. None of these changes came from a drawing board. Each one can be traced back to a sentence that started with "in a real lid, this would...".

Eight white and grey 3D printed face holders with M.A.R.K.O. LID eyelid inserts in two rows on a white surface. Training models. AI-staged from the original photo.
A batch for the next course. Every one identical, which is exactly what donor tissue can never be.

Why a surgical training model is never finished

I am certain that the development of this model will never be complete. That can be unsatisfying. We will never reach the quality of the human body and its tissue. All we can do is keep trying, and on the way make good products that add real value to surgical training.
David Ortner, CEO and Founder, eyecre.at GmbH
Result after canthotomy and cantholysis on the M.A.R.K.O. LID training model, artificial blood on the model and table. No patient, no real tissue. AI-enhanced video still.
After the test: the cut edges, the layers and the artificial blood tell us what to change next.

What we learned, and why we offer it to others

We tell this story for two reasons. The first is to show what we can do and how long it took to get here. The second matters more: a surgeon in another specialty who sees the same gap in training should not have to repeat our detours. Through Surgical Standard[8] we offer the whole path, from the first sketch to an accredited course, and the mistakes below come included. How such a project runs step by step is described in From Idea to Product: How We Develop Custom Training Models.

  1. An idea and a manufacturer are not enough. Our first attempt stalled because anatomy, printing technology and money were missing at the same table. Bring all three together before the first prototype.
  2. Apply for funding together, and early. The project only became possible as a joint application of two companies and a university. We help write these applications today because we know what it takes.
  3. Real tissue is the reference, not the CAD model. Every layer has to be measured against anatomy, by an anatomist, again and again.
  4. Engineers cannot feel what a surgeon feels. Put the model into surgeons' hands as early as possible and treat every comment as development input.
  5. Model and course have to be developed together. A model that is anatomically right can still fail at a station if the course content does not fit it. We learned that late.
  6. Plan for revisions forever. A training model is never finished. Budget, numbering and production have to be built for the next revision from day one.
Lateral canthotomy practised on the M.A.R.K.O. LID: white printed head, eyelid insert with incision and artificial blood, scissors and forceps. No patient. AI-staged from the original photo.
One glance shows that this is a model. That is the point: the same can be built for your specialty.

If you recognise your own specialty in this, the division of labour is simple: you advise and lead the course, we develop, produce, distribute and organise, and we apply for the funding together.

The people behind the model

In the order in which they entered the story. Titles and positions as of September 2026, faculty as listed by LidSUMMIT Tirol.[3]

MKPortrait of Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. univ. Marko Konschake
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. univ. Marko Konschake Director, Institute of Clinical and Functional Anatomy Medical University of Innsbruck Anatomy, initiator on the university side, and the name Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
AHPortrait of Alexander Hechenberger
Alexander Hechenberger CEO, Founder and Managing Director Addion GmbH Multi-material 3D printing and materials
MEPortrait of Ing. Matthias Erber
Ing. Matthias Erber Lead Development and Manufacturing Engineering eyecre.at GmbH 3D design and every revision of the model Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
DOPortrait of David Ortner, BSc
David Ortner, BSc CEO and Founder eyecre.at GmbH Project lead
JHPortrait of Priv.-Doz. Dr. Jens Heichel
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Jens Heichel Senior Consultant (Leitender Oberarzt) University Hospital for Ophthalmology, University Medicine Halle The first idea, and the KANTHO LID
AVPortrait of Prof. Dr. Arne Viestenz
Prof. Dr. Arne Viestenz Director University Hospital for Ophthalmology, University Medicine Halle The first idea
MEPortrait of Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Martin Emesz
Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Martin Emesz Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry Tauernklinikum Zell am See Feedback on model and course content since the second LidSUMMIT Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
DUPortrait of o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. univ. Dietmar Ulrich
o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. univ. Dietmar Ulrich Director, University Clinic for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Medical University of Innsbruck, tirol kliniken LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
ASPortrait of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anton Schwabegger, MSc
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anton Schwabegger, MSc Deputy Director, University Clinic for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Medical University of Innsbruck, tirol kliniken Clinical testing, LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
BDPortrait of Assoz. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Barbara Del Frari
Assoz. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Barbara Del Frari Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Medical University of Innsbruck, tirol kliniken LidSUMMIT faculty
JKPortrait of FÄ Dr. med. univ. Johanna Krapf
FÄ Dr. med. univ. Johanna Krapf Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Medical University of Innsbruck, tirol kliniken LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
JCPortrait of Dr. med. univ. Julia Cordin
Dr. med. univ. Julia Cordin Specialist in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery Privatklinik Dr. Julia Cordin, Obermieming LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
BSPortrait of Assoz. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Bernhard Steger
Assoz. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Bernhard Steger Senior Physician, Department of Ophthalmology Medical University of Innsbruck, tirol kliniken LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
GSPortrait of Assoc.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Gerald Schmidinger
Assoc.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Gerald Schmidinger Head, Special Outpatient Clinic for Corneal Diseases and Implant Surgery Medical University of Vienna LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
BLPortrait of Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Birgit Lackner
Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Birgit Lackner Deputy Head, Special Outpatient Clinic for Ophthalmic Oncology and Oculoplastics Medical University of Vienna LidSUMMIT faculty Profile on LidSUMMIT Insights
AKPortrait of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuchar
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuchar Specialist in Ophthalmology and Optometry Auge & Laser, Vienna LidSUMMIT faculty
AKPortrait of Priv.-Doz. Dr. Angelika Klein-Theyer, MBA
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Angelika Klein-Theyer, MBA Senior Physician, Department of Ophthalmology University Hospital Graz, Medical University of Graz LidSUMMIT faculty
UHPortrait of Dr. Uliana Arturivna Hurayevska-Olenchenko
Dr. Uliana Arturivna Hurayevska-Olenchenko Specialist in Ophthalmology, ophthalmic trauma LidSUMMIT faculty
RFPortrait of Ing. Mag. (FH) Roland Fuchs
Ing. Mag. (FH) Roland Fuchs Cluster Life Sciences Tirol Standortagentur Tirol Supported us along the whole way
DOPortrait of Ing. David Ostermann, BA
Ing. David Ostermann, BA Owner, funding consultant OSTERMANN CONSULTING, Axams Helped with the funding applications
+
Every LidSUMMIT participant Everyone who made a cut and told us afterwards what felt wrong.

Frequently asked questions

What is the M.A.R.K.O. LID?

The M.A.R.K.O. LID is a 3D printed training model for eyelid surgery made by eyecre.at GmbH in Innsbruck, Austria. M.A.R.K.O. stands for Multi-Layer Anatomical Realistic Kit for Oculoplastics. One model consists of more than 50 separately defined volumes, printed from 7 base materials that are blended into digital materials on a Stratasys J850 Digital Anatomy printer, and is post-processed by hand with several chemical treatments. It is used for blepharoplasty, ptosis correction, ectropion repair, canthotomy, flap reconstruction and wound closure training.

Who developed the M.A.R.K.O. LID?

It was developed by eyecre.at GmbH together with the Institute of Clinical and Functional Anatomy of the Medical University of Innsbruck (Univ.-Prof. Dr. Marko Konschake) and Addion GmbH (Alexander Hechenberger), with Stratasys as printing technology partner. The first idea came up with Priv.-Doz. Dr. Jens Heichel and Prof. Dr. Arne Viestenz in Halle. The faculty and participants of LidSUMMIT Tirol have shaped every revision through their feedback.

How long did it take to develop?

Years. The idea predates 2022. The first funded project ran from May 2022 to April 2024. The model was first used in a course in March 2025, and the current revision L3-B1 was tested in September 2026. Development continues.

What did the development cost?

About 245,000 euros had been spent by the end of the first funded project in April 2024, of which about 116,000 euros came from the Tiroler Innovationsförderung of the State of Tyrol. The partners carried the rest. Development has continued ever since. eyecre.at estimates the total at about 400,000 euros by September 2026 across all partners. This is an extrapolated estimate, not an audited figure, and it excludes the unpaid time of the surgeons and anatomists involved.

Why is a 3D printed model used next to body donors?

Body donors remain the reference for anatomy. A printed model adds what preserved tissue cannot offer: identical models for every participant, standardised pathologies, tissue behaviour that preservation changes in donors, unlimited repetition and no ethical or logistical limits on availability.

Can eyecre.at develop a training model for another surgical specialty?

Yes. Through the Surgical Standard initiative, a surgeon from any specialty can commission a model. The surgeon advises and acts as course director, eyecre.at handles development, production, distribution and the course, and funding is applied for jointly. The experience and the mistakes from the M.A.R.K.O. LID are part of what a new project gets from day one.

Where this story continues

The M.A.R.K.O. LID connects four websites. Each one shows a different side of the same work:

  • eyecre.at: the manufacturer: store, all training models, custom development.
  • eyelidtraining.com (you are here): the product line for oculoplastic training: M.A.R.K.O. LID, KANTHO LID, STRABISMUS LID.
  • lidsummit.com: the EACCME accredited hands-on course where the model is used and improved.
  • surgicalstandard.eu: the partnership model for surgeons who want a training model for their own specialty.

Sources

  1. Funding agreement F.47167/9-2023, Tiroler Innovationsförderung, Office of the Tyrolean State Government, 6 March 2023. Project "Lidchirurgisches Trainingsmodell zur Schulung chirurgischer Fähigkeiten". Partners: eyecre.at GmbH, ADDION GmbH, Medical University of Innsbruck. Project budget, grant and project period are taken from this document.
  2. Stratasys: "Advancing Eyelid Surgery Training with 3D Printed Anatomical Models", case study, 7 August 2025. www.stratasys.com/en/resources/case-studies/eyelid-surgery-3d-printed-anatomical-models
  3. LidSUMMIT Tirol: course, editions, accreditation (EACCME, 24 ECMEC credits) and faculty. www.lidsummit.com/speakers
  4. EYELID Training: product line and technical data of the M.A.R.K.O. LID. www.eyelidtraining.com
  5. eyecre.at store: M.A.R.K.O. LID, KANTHO LID and Eyelid 4 Eye product pages. www.eyecre.at/store/p/markolid
  6. Standortagentur Tirol: Cluster Life Sciences Tirol. www.standort-tirol.at/cluster/cluster-/life-sciences
  7. University Medicine Halle, University Hospital and Polyclinic for Ophthalmology: team page. www.umh.de/einrichtungen/kliniken-und-departments/augenheilkunde/team
  8. Surgical Standard: partnership model for developing training models in other specialties. www.surgicalstandard.eu
  9. Personal account of David Ortner, CEO and Founder of eyecre.at GmbH, September 2026 (origin of the idea, role of the course feedback, current build of the model, cost estimate to date).
  10. Stratasys: J850 Digital Anatomy printer, specifications (up to seven materials simultaneously, digital materials, more than 600,000 colour combinations, more than 300 validated anatomy presets). www.stratasys.com/en/3d-printers/printer-catalog/polyjet/j850-digital-anatomy

Train on the model this story is about

M.A.R.K.O. LID LidSUMMIT Tirol Send us feedback

All images show training models and artificial blood. No patient, no real tissue. The images are AI-staged or AI-enhanced versions of our own photos and video stills from the hands-on test in September 2026, and each image says so in its label. Text prepared with AI assistance. eyecre.at training models: NOT FOR MEDICAL OR HUMAN USE, NON-STERILE AND ONLY FOR DEMONSTRATION.