Doctors prescribe catheters, but, as I understand it, you typically get them, once prescribed, from a medical supply house. Print-at-home could be useful in certain situations.
And, of course, people don't need to go to a doctor for anything connected to jewelry.
> A printer good enough to print glass lenses would be useful for some areas of the developing world.
People in the developed world still wear glasses, too, and being able to replace damaged lenses at home would be convenient.
Will printers ever be good enough to print contact lenses?
A printer good enough to print glass lenses would be useful for some areas of the developing world.
PROTOTYPING
Even the $500K printers we have at work, can't compete with the quality of mass produced injection molded parts. And some of the ideas people are talking about like home printing medical devices, radios, and other electronics have been watching too much Star Trek.
Over the past 10 years, the printers have gotten better, but they are not following anything close to Moores Law in terms of speed, quality, and cost improvements. In 2 years, we are not going to have Star Trek replicators. In 40-100, maybe. Until that time comes, home 3D printers will only be making cheap plastic junk like figurines.