Have you lost an eye, or about you about to lose an eye? Don't worry,
it's not the end of the world. Give it a couple of weeks and it will
probably turn into a mere inconvenience that you don't even think about
very often, at least that's the way it has been with me and thousands
of others who have lost an eye.
Four days after the turn of the New Millennium, my optometrist told
me that something didn't look right, and that I should consult with
an ophthalmologic surgeon. I was then diagnosed with choroidal melanoma,
which is a serious cancer within the eye. The cancer wasn't very big,
but it was very close to my optical nerve and melanoma is not something
you want to mess around with. So, within days, I had made the decision
-- at the very active age of 35 -- to go with the best odds and have
the eye removed.
Believe it or not, five days later I was back at work at my law
practice, and now the fact that I only have one eye is barely an inconvenience,
and not even something I notice unless I think about it. My driving
isn't any different (I give myself a little more space for the cars
ahead of me), and my life isn't any different. I haven't even noticed
any significant loss of depth perception. In other words, life has returned
to pretty much what it was before I went in for the surgery.
But I know, and I mean really know -- personally -- how stressful
losing an eye can be. Thus, I have created this completely free, noncommercial
website for the information and support of those who have recently lost
an eye, or who may lose an eye due to surgery, disease, etc.
Shortcut to our LostEye Discussion Forum where you can read the posts and visit with others who have lost sight
in an eye.
 About
The Author
The Editor of this website is Jay
Adkisson an author of financial planning books and the publisher
of Quatloos.com which
is the largest private resource for exposing financial and tax frauds
and scams.
One-Eyed Pilot Jay Becomes an
FAA Licensed Pilot, February 28, 2003
Coping with Monocular Vision after Enucleation or Eye Loss from Cancer,
Accident, or Disease
By Jay D. Adkisson
Barnes & Noble Amazon iUniverse
Discussion Forums
General Discussion -- ALL NEW POSTS GO HERE! -- General discussion and support forum. ***THIS IS THE MAIN
DISCUSSION FORUM -- PLEASE POST ALL NEW POSTS HERE!***
The Wonderful World of One-Eyers -- Listing the famous
and psuedo-famous who succeeded with monocular vision, with an
emphasis on historical figures.
The Moolooh Lounge -- A place for folks to chat about pretty
much anything whatsoever. Come in, have a drink, kick back and
casually chat with others. Please don't talk about anything too
serious, and don't take anything that anybody else says too
seriously.
Recent Archives -- The most recent archived threads, not yet sorted for category.
Ocularists and Prosthesis -- All issues relating to ocularists,
including practices, prices, the profession, how to find one,
and good and bad comments on ones we've used. Plus, all issues
relating to prosthesis, including how they are made, conformers,
care and cleaning
Patches -- Types of patches, problems with patches, where to find them, and
how to make them
Surgery, Post-Surgery, Plastic Surgery and other Medical -- All issues relating to enucleation surgery and follow-ups,
including surgery preparation, post-surgery recovery, and
follow-up examinations. Also covers medical problems related to
surgery or loss of an eye, such as recurring headaches.
Implants -- Types of implants and problems with implants.
Coping with Monocular Vision -- All issues relating
to adapting to monocular vision, including depth perception,
getting driver's licenses, reading and the like.
Mental & Emotional Issues -- Discusses the mental
and emotional issues that accompany the loss of sight, and
coping with the mental and emotional aspects of eye loss.
Cancer & Disease -- Discusses eye cancer and other diseases
resulting in the lose of an eye or vision, alternatives to
enucleation, possible cures, coping with the cancer or disease.
Accidents -- Discusses accidents that have lead to the loss of an eye.
Children Issues -- Collection of posts by parents about dealing with their children
who have been born with a bad eye or lost an eye because of an
accident, etc.
Driving Issues -- Issues relating to driving, getting drivers licenses and staying
current, and similar issues.
Scleral Shells -- Comments about scleral shells, which are a form of a prosthesis
that fit over an existing eye
Other Archived Old Posts -- Old posts that really don't fit into any
other category
How to Register to Post -- Special instructions on how to register
to post on LostEye.com -- You MUST follow these instructions to
obtain posting privileges. (You do not need anything to just
read posts, as the posts are open to all viewers whether
registered or not.)
Helpful Links
Eye Cancer Network --
The Eye Cancer Network is an educational web-site about the diagnosis
and treatment of ocular tumors, eye cancer, and orbital diseases
for patients, their families and the health professionals who care
for them. Hosted by Dr. Paul T. Finger, M.D. http://www.eyecancer.com e-mail pfinger@eyecancer.com
Information
About Enucleation -- The Eye Cancer Network's webpage
describing the surgical process of removing an eye, and what
to expect afterwards. http://www.eyecancer.com/Enucleation/enuc.html
Eye Care Foundation --
New York-based non-profit organization formed to treat diseases and
cancers of the eye. http://www.eyecarefoundation.org
American Society
of Ocularists -- An organization of ocularists with members
in many states and nationwide. This is an excellent place for
you to start your search for an ocularist and to learn more about
ocularistry and your new eye. http://www.ocularist.org
Choroidal
Melanoma Chat Group - Discussion group on treatments,
doctors, problems and advice.
CustomEyePatches --
Creators of unique and one of a kind eye patches that are functional
and fashionable. customeyepatches.com
EyepatchStore.com --
Makes quality eye patches. http://www.eyepatchstore.com
One Vision
OneVision is the UK's only registered Telephone Helpline offering
information, support and understanding for people who have lost the
sight in one eye.
It was set up in 1998, originally as a local service for people living
in Northamptonshire. But it quickly became a national support service
as more and more people and organisations latched onto the fact that
it was the only service of its kind in the UK!
Independent charity status was obtained in 2002.
OneVision is experienced in helping people come to terms, and cope
with visual impairment. Its backbone, is a strong UK-wide network of
volunteers with personal knowledge of sight loss in one eye (from all
types of causes). They offer invaluable one-to-one support to new callers
to the Helpline seeking information, encouragement or reassurance from
someone who really knows what it is like.
They are still a very small operation, looking to secure funding to
enable them to grow their service. Meanwhile, hundreds of people each
year ring the Helpline -- pointed in their direction by such organisations
as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Moorfield Eye Hospital
in London and the National Artificial Eye Service.
Website address is www.one-vision.org.uk.
Email is onevis@nccnet.co.uk
Telephone number is (uk) 0845 108 3161 |
