How will having an artificial eye affect my lifestyle?

At first you may experience difficulties in judging depth and distance, but you will soon adjust and will overcome these difficulties. How soon depends on the individual.

To begin with, however, consciously consider your actions and develop some helpful techniques. In the early days practice:

• Looking around before making sudden turns.
• Exaggerating your head movements to be sure it is safe to cross the road.
• Stepping off the pavement, boarding buses and trains and using stairs and escalators.
• Looking for potential hazards in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Pouring drinks into a cup or placing a cup safely on the table.

Can I still drive?

Yes. Drivers will need to inform the DVLA and their insurance company about the loss of vision in one eye. You may be required to have an eye test to ensure good vision in the remaining eye.

Can I play sport?

Yes. Many patients are involved in sporting activities prior to the loss of an eye and continue to participate without any adverse effects.

It may be advisable prior to playing strenuous contact sports to consider removing the artificial eye and storing it safely, to avoid damage or accidental personal injury. Goggles should be worn when swimming or diving to prevent any irritation to the eye socket and any possibility of the artificial eye becoming dislodged.

It is important to take additional precautions e.g. wearing safety spectacles, when undertaking anything potentially hazardous to prevent injury to the remaining eye.

What about my job?

It is difficult to state categorically how the loss of an eye will affect employment. Under most circumstances the main difficulty will be the period of adjustment to judgements of depth and distance.

As with sporting activities the wearing of safety spectacles is important to prevent injury to the remaining eye. Safety glasses will also help prevent dirt collecting on the artificial eye if you work in a dirty or dusty atmosphere.

Will it affect my ‘good’ eye?

Provided that the remaining eye is healthy, vision should be normal. This eye will not be placed under any extra strain and will not need to work any harder. There is no need to restrict reading or any other activities to ‘rest’ the eye. You will not be entitled to register as partially sighted if you have good vision in your remaining eye.