Hi everyone, thanks for your help in assisitng me to understand the medical side of removing my eye. I do have a few other questions i am hoping you can help me with. They are as follows.

What sort of movement did you get out of your new eye??
do you at all regret the surgery??
Were you in pain after your surgery??
how long did it take you to feel like your normal self again??
How did you deal with the emotional side of the surgery??
can people spot that you have a prostetic eye??
does the movement of the prostetic eye improve as it heals??
did you have any complications if so what were they??

Hope you can help i am really struggling with having this surgery its all i seem to think about and find that besides you lovely people from LE no one seems to understand.
Thanks xox

I'll try and answer these for ya, I'll be as honest as possible


What sort of movement did you get out of your new eye??
Not much here, it moves but the docs have had me open that much I believe i just broke , It differs for everybody, some guys have fantastic movement.
do you at all regret the surgery??
Not for a second, the pain beforehand was so bad, a few itchy eyelids is a good compromise.
Were you in pain after your surgery??
Yes, it will hurt for a few days, especially when you move your head, here at le though we have a miracle cure in the way of frozen peas oh and strong drugs!!
how long did it take you to feel like your normal self again??
Never been normal so can't possibly answer On a serious note, I felt no different really, I still have the same mates, hell, I had my accident when I was 13 and at that time I was going out with my now wife.
How did you deal with the emotional side of the surgery??
I'm a robot, I'll let the more sensitive deal with this one
can people spot that you have a prostetic eye??
Yes, well no, maybe. They can tell something is different. It will never look as good as a real eye.
does the movement of the prostetic eye improve as it heals??
You'll get your eye when the socket is healed
did you have any complications if so what were they??
my socket rejected the implant a few times

Don't let it drag you down, You can still do anything you want, We have a varied bunch on here from climbers, mountain bikers, runners, divers, teachers, cops.......... List goes on.

Good luck

Hi Amy, I'll try to answer your questions. I actually still have my eye, but it's very damaged. I wear a scleral shell over it for cosmetic reasons. I can still relate to somethings with you however. It seems you are really struggling and I can relate. I know I read your original post, but I can't remember why you have to have your eye removed. Are there any other options out there for you? Like radiation or whatever, if it's for cancer? Sorry to be clueless, my situation is because of trauma.

What sort of movement did you get out of your new eye?? - Not much, but that's because it's a shell.
do you at all regret the surgery?? - haven't had it, but a few docs tried to force it on me and i ran like hell out of their offices.
Were you in pain after your surgery?? - haven't had it, but have had five other surgeries related to my accident and not really any pain from them.
how long did it take you to feel like your normal self again?? - Five years out I'm getting there, slow but steady. Please note, most people have gotten on much much faster than I and you probably will too.
How did you deal with the emotional side of the surgery?? - Five years out I'm getting there. Very slow, much slower than the physical aspects. Again, I'm slower than most.
can people spot that you have a prostetic eye?? - Not immediately, but after a few moments they often get a very bewildered look on their face and look from eye to eye, so I'm pretty sure they know something is up. I also have a big scar underneath my eye so that maybe part of it as well. This is only with people I'm actually having a conversation with. At the supermarket check-out or post office or something, no one seems to know.
does the movement of the prostetic eye improve as it heals??- Mine has not changed.
did you have any complications if so what were they?? - No complications. Just struggled alot with acceptance.

p.s. Thanks Andy for noting this was in Ranting section, I wouldn't have found it otherwise.

This is a tough deal for some of us girls. If you would like to Personal Message me, please feel free. I'm here to help!! Valorie

Amy, I just checked your original post and see that your eye trouble is from having a shard of glass in your eye many years ago. It's seems alot has been done to try and save your eye already and your docs feel this is the only remaining option. It does kind of sound like it. I know that the Sympathetic Opthalmia is nothing to screw around with. I do think that the way they are doing your surgery it seems like you should get good movement out of the prosthesis. I'm not a doctor however and I don't really know for sure of course. If you aren't absolutely 110% on board with this, can you get another opinion and another one if need be? I mean you need to be really really sure for yourself, especially if you don't want to have to struggle with thoughts afterwards of what if I did this, or what if I did that. Do you know what I mean?? I know it's tough. I've scheduled surgeries and then cancelled them. That alone sent me to a rock bottom place in my journey, that I'm quite sure was miles deeper than hell. But then, the next doc I met was a God send and once I met him, I knew he was the one and I went with everything he said to me. I had absolute rock solid confidence in him and that was the key for me! And I was right, he did an amazing job with my face and I couldn't be happier. In the end, I'm so glad I listened to my gut. I hope this will help you a little bit. xo Valorie

Thanks Andy for the heads-up .... I would've missed the post too ........


What sort of movement did you get out of your new eye??
My movement was good. Actually I just had my yearly appointment and he asked me to move prosthetic; up/down right/left and for the first time in years I asked how it was???? I don't think of movement at all ..... he said he's still really good.Which is ten years on.
do you at all regret the surgery??
Not for a second. I had no quality of life and had already had 2 more surgeries to save a blind eye and was living on a morphine pump. It was a relief when I had it removed. I also worried about SOS because my eye was then dying and looked it.
Were you in pain after your surgery??
By comparison to before; it was mild discomfort to me. I took panadol for a few days. Did everything my specialist told me and I was really good in about 4-5 days. Light household chores and walks outside in the park; and visiting friends or having them at my home because I hadn't seen some in over 3 months.
how long did it take you to feel like your normal self again??
I think I instantly became my normal self because I had been so ab-normal during the 5months before. I was glad to be active; laughing; entertaining; planning a great new future; all things I couldn't do because of being bed-ridden and in chronic pain and attached to the morphine pump.
How did you deal with the emotional side of the surgery??
I went into my eye removal with the thought this would be it; all over. A walk in the park because my eye had been blind for 8yrs and I knew what being monoculr was all about. But it wasn't because I couldn't mentally deal with the prosethic. I don't know why but it just freaked me out looking at it in the pam of my hand. I realised quickly that all my coping skills of the past wasn't working .... I went to therapy and in 4 months realised that the prosthetic and I would now be together until death do us part.
can people spot that you have a prostetic eye??
No; not strangers. I'm sure family and close friends (that know) can spot a little difference. But I worked for 8yrs with my blind eye and didn't tell anyone and I worked for 2 yrs and didn't tell and no-one spotted it.
does the movement of the prostetic eye improve as it heals??
I agree with Andy; The wait of 6-8-10 weeks is so socket is completely healed. The movement you have after the prosthetic settles in with the implant is what you will have in the future (or so I believe)
did you have any complications if so what were they??
I've had none.

If you want to PM me Amy please do. A lot of us here have got married after eye problem/prosthetic (me included); we live joyful and fulfilling lives ....... I hope this journey ends with success and you are happy with the end result. Cheers Vera

Hi Amy have just read the posts and although my surgery was radical (had eyelid removed as well) I am now two weeks post surgery. My medication was panadol every six hours (although I was given stronger stuff to take) which worked. Apart from having a giant eye pad and not being able to drive for a few weeks life goes on as normal. Just take it easy the first week - don't lift heavy things or do strenous exercise - ask all the questions you can think of - I found writing them down as I thought of them helped. Make dates as vera says to catch up with people and keep yourself occupied - like posting on LE on a daily basis!!! We're all wishing you only good things - the LE people are just wonderfully supportive. sally