Abstract: An iris assembly for a prosthetic eye comprising a button having a frontside surface. An iris member is joined to the button frontside surface and has an iris image disposed thereon. The iris image is provided using digital image capture, storage, enhancement, and printing techniques, and is provided onto a suitable substrate. A cornea piece is made from a clear material, and is joined to the iris member frontside surface. Prior to joining, the iris member is encapsulated with a clear protective film thereover that operates to protect the iris image from unwanted smudging or other type of distortion during the step of joining the cornea piece. The iris assembly yields an accurate reproduction of the iris portion of a patient's natural eye in a manner that is both time efficient and cost effective.