I have a glass eye AMA

[KiplingAngelCake]

Just that really!

Do you use it as an icebreaker at work?
Did it happen after someone said "you'll have someone's eye out doing that"?

Nope! I never really talk about it at work. People know I have no sight in one eye, but not that I have a prosthesis.
Apparently, it's a very good one (not that I have anything to compare it with). So much so, that a GP tried to shine a light in it to check pupil dilation

How did you lose your eye?

I was lucky not to lose my eye. I had a serious illness as a child, which caused a lot of damage to my eye. So the "glass eye" is basically a shell which fits over the damaged eye.

Have you ever popped it into someones drink, like in the movies?
I've got my eye on you..
Please say you have...

I had a friend with a glass eye and she used to stick stuff to it to freak people out. I found it hilarious. Do you ever play jokes on people like that?

Also, did you have to get new prothseses as you grew up? Do you have more than one?

I haven't! I really haven't made the most of this, have I?

Hang on, there was a time when my eye was infected and really painful and I didn't want to go to a party. Unsympathetic ex-boyfriend was whingeing about me not going and I lost it.

So - I popped my eye out, put it in his hand and said something like "you try shoving that in your eye, sticking a few needles around your eye for the pain factor and then going out clubbing". His face....

What does the eye underneath look like?

Yes Toothtrauma I have stuck things to it and walked around zombie-like. It'd good for Halloween.

I had new ones more frequently as I was growing up, but they generally last about 5-10yrs in my experience. I'm due to get another one soon, it's a long process.

I used to have a spare, but don't anymore. I'm never far from it!

Gina it looks small and sunken, quite red and clouded over. Lovely!

Your old eye sounds painful!

Do you sleep with your eye, or do you put it in a special case at night on your bedside table like a pair of contact lenses or a set of false teeth?

It's actually not painful most of the time. I think it's desensitised over time. I do get the odd infection or bit of inflammation I guess from having a foreign object stuck in it! Generally ordinary painkillers or prescription drops do the trick.

I don't sleep in it, but have a little case I keep it in.

Do you have sight at all in the damaged eye ?

Wow! this has been my favourite AMA. I don't even know what to ask but I will read more

Urbanbeetler Nope, no sight at all. I used to be able to distinguish dark and late but not any more. Apparently it's because I've worn the prosthesis for so long that the eye has been starved of oxygen and clouded over.

It was a decision we had to make when I was young - the chance of salvaging a tiny bit of sight v aesthetics. Aesthetics won...

*light not late !

missmoohoo ah that's nice to hear! Ask away.

I sat here reading all the AMAs and wished I had something to start a thread about. Suddenly I remembered my eye and thought it was worth throwing out there (not literally of course).

Do you agree with that decision now?

How does lack of sight on one side most affect you? What situations
Thanks for your answers!

Back in a few mins - work interruption!

Urbanbeetler I've thought about that a lot over the years and aesthetics wins every time.

I hated being stared at and being "different" from other girls my age. I only ever had one nasty comment at primary school, but it was more being stared at my strangers and other kids. I totally understand why but it really affected my confidence, especially around boys when I hit puberty.

I had such little sight anyway that it wasn't a huge consideration.

Oops and your other question how does lack of sight on one side affect you"

Quite a bit when I think about it, but it has all become relatively normal.

• It's tricky when people sit/walk on my blind side - I have to twist my head to talk and tend to bump into them when walking which I'm sure is very annoying.

• I bump into pedestrians when walking sometimes. Again, must be irritating.

• I get a sore neck from tilting my head to "centre" my good eye. This only dawned on me in the last 5yrs or so!

*I gave up driving because I had no confidence.

• I get thrown off balance sometimes walking downstairs, so I always hold the handrail.

*I don't like having photo taken. If I'm off centre, my fake eye looks weird.

*I'm hopeless at catching a ball - which may or may not been connected to my eyesight!

That sounds like a whinge-fest. It's not meant to be!
It's absolutely fine and I'm used to all of that.

An ex-boyfriend had one eye, his left one. He lost it in an accident/malicious act at school.
Going past parked cars when he was driving used to terrify me . That said, he was a great driver but he couldn't see in 3d so the bonnet was just a line with no depth.

Are there day to day things where having one eye is a massive disadvantage?

Thanks for taking the time to answer. An informative thread.

Oh yes, 3D etc cinema - nightmare.

I remember back in the 80s going to a friend's cinema party. It turned out to be a 3D film. I was too embarrassed to say anything, so wore the glasses and oohed and aahhed with everyone else. Had no idea what was going on!