I have a glass eye AMA

[KiplingAngelCake]

Just that really!

I was on a team building day yesterday and discovered another thing that's difficult to do with one eye - clay pigeon shooting! Disaster

Just googled prosthetic eyes, wow they are amazing! Would never be able to tell which was which.

Have the quality of prosthetic eyes improved significantly during your lifetime? Both aesthetically and comfort-wise?

They truly are amazing!

Sounds bonkers but it's actually an art IMO - not only matching the shape, but colour too (not just of the iris, but of the "white" of your eye which can be loads of different shades), painting on little blood vessels etc.

I think I'm genuinely very lucky, as I've had lots of comments over the years about how good mine is aesthetically. Comfort isn't bad at all. When I get a new one, it take a bit of time to build up to wearing it all day. But once that's done, it's perfectly comfortable.

Do you have to pay for the awesome ones privately or are they available on the NHS?

Is it actually made of glass?

My young DD is blind completly in 1 eye but it is not apparent unless you are told, her optic nerve never formed properly but the eye moves etc along side the other. So i do have a few questions!!, did it cause you problems when learning to read? As in did your eye get tired more quickly? Or was it an issue at school with learning?
Also were you able to drive later on?

heartshaped I have always got mine done privately. They are available on the NHS, but I suspect the level of awesomeness of the NHS "eyes" may vary as it's all down to time.

The lady is who makes mine is a real perfectionist and it can take weeks/months of appointments to get a prosthesis just right. I'm not sure whether as much time can be devoted if it's a NHS prosthesis.

aperol - nope, not glass any more! It's a sort of plastic or acrylic I think. It's pretty robust. It's never got damaged (touch wood) when dropped in a sink!

Pancakes will be back in a few mins. V happy to answer your questions!

Pancakes - funnily enough, I was talking to a lady last week who had a DS in a similar position to your DD and asked very similar questions!

Losing my sight had no impact on my ability to read as a child. I was and am a massive bookworm and read all the time. I'd recommend making sure she reads in good light and gets regular eye tests.

The only time I had a problem with eye strain is around exam time and long hours of revising. A long way off for your DD by the sounds of it, but I was allowed an extra 10 mins in my finals at uni for a short break. In some ways that was a pain, because I'd lose steam when writing an essay but ultimately was beneficial!

I was able to learn to drive without any problem, but didn't feel confident. I think that was more psychological, than to do with ability though.

At the end of the day, your DD will know no different and will amaze you with all the stuff she just gets on with! Any other questions, just let me know!

Thank you Kipling, and you are right in that she just gets on with things but is nearing the age of 8 and over the past 18 months has struggled a bit with why she only has one eye when everyone she knows can see out of two, i have had to assure her tjat she is fine as she is, but has asked if they will ever be able to 'fix' her and i have said they dont know at the moment enough in medicine. I also suspect she is like her brother and slightly dyslexic but she appears to hide it verywell. The teachers are aware but none of the other children its something she keeps very close to her chest. I notice that she tilts her head when reading but youve covered that upthread. Thank you so much for getting back to me.

Oh bless her. It's so tricky when the awareness hits regarding what others can do.

I remember asking the doctors whether they could fix me. Its sounds as though you have given her the same answer I got - technology and medical advances are happening all the time and you never know what might be possible in the future. That definitely gave me hope.

I'm sure the teachers do this anyway, but hopefully they can make sure she is seated appropriately (i.e. near the board). I used to hate working in pairs when my partner was on my blind side. Maybe find a way to encourage her to speak up and ask to sit where suits her best and not struggle in silence. Tricky I know.

Good luck and anything I can help with, just shout.

Thank you! Its much appreciated. Also just one more q, has it ever stopped yoj from getting into a career that you really wanted? Im assuming for example that you would be barred from the military/avaition for example?

AFAIK there are very few career limitations. I think (but am not 100% sure) that a lot of eyesight requirements are based on overall unaided vision.

Being blind in one eye has not held me back career-wise at all. I studied law at uni and now have a executive level corporate role and have never felt disadvantaged - except at team building days when playing rounders etc!

That is fantastic to hear, and rounders is overrated (always was) 😂