Hello, my
                  name is Brenda,
                  I am 54 years old and I
                  wear a prosthesis and have since 1988 at which time I lost my
                  eye due to an infection.  Several attempts were made to
                  save the eye but the trauma done during the procedure to drain
                  the infection cause the eye to eventually die. 
                  
                  I really couldn't be upset over loosing the eye because my
                  initial injury was when I was in the first grade and I was hit
                  with a rock.  Ever since the injury I had had some type
                  of problem with the eye. Either an infection or something else
                  was happening and my eye stayed very red. 
                  
                  I was relieve after the enucleation since I no longer had
                  to deal with the red eye.  I say this because I actually
                  didn't give up that much sight.  Due to the rock injury I
                  could only see light in the left corner of the eye, so I was
                  fairly use to having sight in one eye.
                  
                  In March of 1988, Dr. Chris Fleming in Memphis did the
                  enucleation and I was sent home to recover and get ready to be
                  fitted for my new prosthesis.
                  
                  I could hardly wait to get my new eye!  But, the
                  ocularist that I went to didn't provide a good fit and I felt
                  like a monster! I wanted to run and hide or even put the patch
                  back on.  However, I finally realized it didn't look that
                  bad, but I was not satisfied with the way I looked.
                  
                  More recently, Bob Thomas of Memphis, Tennessee made me a
                  prosthesis that looks just like my other eye and you can't
                  tell which is the prosthesis from my real eye.
                  
                  I have had the Bio-eye (hydroxyapatite) integrated motility
                  implant placed in my orbit with the new titanium peg and my
                  eye movement is much improved. 
                  
                  I hope that I am around long enough to be fitted with the
                  "Bionic Eye" that you can actually see out of...ha!":)...it is being worked on I understand! :)
                  
                  Please feel free to write to me and ask me any questions or
                  share anything that you have on your mind about  wearing
                  your prosthesis.
                  
                  I was so glad to find this support site online. I just
                  accidentally came across it and so very happy that I did.
                  
                  Thank you,  
  
                  Brenda
                   
                  Return
                  to Patient's Stories