[Blindtlk] Prosthetic eyes.

Tue Sep 21 20:36:43 UTC 2010

6-8 weeks

I wore sunglasses for the first few weeks. Then decided I am really not much 
of a sunglasses person.  The area was bruised and swollen at first, but by 
the time I got tired of the sunglasses it looked pretty normal, except the 
eyelid would stay closed.

Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deanna Lewis" <deannakay618 at yahoo.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 3:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Prosthetic eyes.

Thanks for all the info!
One more question. How long does it take from having the enucleation to 
getting fit for a prosthesis? Thanks!
Deanna

--- On Tue, 9/21/10, Julie J <julielj at windstream.net> wrote:

From: Julie J <julielj at windstream.net>
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Prosthetic eyes.
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 4:21 PM

Deanna,

The eye I just had removed also had only a bit of light perception left, but 
it was really whacking it a good one that finished it off. *smile*

Anyway my experience was much pain barely controlled with narcotics before 
surgery, after surgery practically pain free after 3-4 days. I have no 
phantom pain in the eye, but the eyelid and surrounding tissue most 
certainly do still react to pain.

I've had loads of surgery too. My main issue with surgery in the past has 
been the anesthetic, not the actual procedure. This time they used Versed 
along with a local anesthetic, which worked amazingly well for me. I think I 
was at the hospital for 4 or so hours total, including everything from the 
time I walked in the door, signing papers, preop, the surgery, recovery and 
after care instructions. It was by far the easiest surgery I have ever had.

I do have some occasional discomfort with the prosthetic, but I've only had 
it a week and I'm sure most of my problems are due to being new to it and 
still figuring out what works for me.

I have a coral implant with donor sclera over it, which is not removable 
because my muscles are attached to it. The prosthetic is like a huge contact 
lens thingy that fits in the front part of the eye. It gives the eye the 
correct shape, color and helps the eyelid to open properly. It is removable 
and is the piece that needs to be cleaned that we've been talking about.

I know there are lots of different types of implants and prosthetics so my 
experience may be totally different from what you might experience. But I'm 
happy to share. I wish I had thought to ask questions here about it before 
the surgery. I was very nervous about the whole mess.

Best of luck!
Julie

----- Original Message ----- From: "Deanna Lewis" <deannakay618 at yahoo.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 2:48 PM
Subject: [Blindtlk] Prosthetic eyes.

Hi guys,
I am intrigued to hear all these comments about prosthetic eyes. I have 
glaucoma and have had over 30 eye surgeries. My right eye is not doing too 
well. It causes me constant pain and sometimes the pain is unbearable. In 
that eye, I can only see light and dark. My doctor has suggested enucleation 
(removing the eye), but I have some questions.
1. How painful is the eye removal procedure?
2. Do you have phantom pain in the eye, even after it has been removed?
3. Can the implant and the prosthesis both be removed for cleaning? Or just 
the outer shell part?
I may have more questions, but those are the burning ones for right now, 
LOL. Thanks so much!
Deanna

--- On Tue, 9/21/10, Graves, Diane <dgraves at icrc.IN.gov> wrote:

From: Graves, Diane <dgraves at icrc.IN.gov>
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] gross but what do I do?
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 8:36 AM

Hi Julie,

> From what I am seeing here, we are all very different in what we 
> experience with our prosthesis. I am actually pretty surprised by the 
> number of people that we have. I have always felt pretty isolated, knowing 
> only a couple of people , besides myself, who have prosthesis. But I think 
> everyone has a different amount of buildup and discharge. I would wipe 
> them with a damp cloth each day or make sure to apply some water to them 
> while in the shower. But, if they still feel dry and scratchy or like they 
> have excess buildup, I would take them out and clean them. If they feel 
> okay to you, not dirty or scratchy, then they probably are fine. 
> Experience will eventually teach you what is right for you.

hth
Diane Graves
Civil Rights Specialist
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
317-232-2647

"It is service that measures success."
George Washington Carver

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-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
Behalf Of Julie J
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 10:11 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] gross but what do I do?

To all of you who have prosthetic eyes,

How often do you clean them? I just got mine last week and the Occularist
wasn't very helpful. He said that some people take it out daily for
cleaning, while others only take it out for their yearly visit with the
Occularist.

I don't have allergies. I do spend a fair amount of time outdoors, where it
is quite frequently windy and dusty. It does feel dry and scratchy
sometimes. I'm going to the eye doctor tomorrow, so I'll ask there, but if
he's as helpful as the Occularist...well I think you guys might have better
info. *smile*

TIA
Julie

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