4 ms·

Nah, it's not really that big of a deal. It's a little sensitive to irritation from foreign debris, but that's about it. I don't think I've ever had an infecti

Nah, it's not really that big of a deal. It's a little sensitive to irritation from foreign debris, but that's about it. I don't think I've ever had an infection in mine and have probably only scratched/irritated it 4-5 times in the past 16 years. Usually that only happens when something gets behind the prosthesis and rubs. More often, I find that I've given myself a black eye in my sleep, because a hard prosthetic makes it easier to bruise the lid than having a soft, squishy eyeball in there.

kingkawn 15y ago
Also I'd be interested to look at if the relatively benign radiation from electronic devices becomes much more significant when operating inside of the skull.
- mirkules 15y ago
  Good point. I would look at wireless sound devices that fit inside the ear canal (if there are such things). My hunch is that hearing loss is more common than loss of eyeballs, so there are probably more experimental devices and more studies conducted with those.
mirkules 15y ago
That's interesting. Is it mostly scar tissue inside the eye socket, then? Also, I would have thought one takes out the prosthetic eye when going to sleep, like a contact lens. But if bruising is a problem, why aren't they made from softer / squishier materials?
- kellishaver 15y ago
  I wouldn't say there's a lot of scar tissue. It's basically just skin. There are two types of prosthetic eyes. The one I have, the more "traditional" prosthesis, is two parts. There's a clear sphere made of medical grade plastic implanted in the back of my eye socket and then there is skin and muscle over top of that. The prosthesis sits in the eye on top of this sphere. The newer variety has a post that attaches to this to allow for more eye movement. If you're not one to be easily bothered by such things, I've upload a couple of (somewhat blurry, my apologies) pictures. The eye socket: http://i.imgur.com/DogTz.jpg http://i.imgur.com/DogTz.jpg The Prosthesis: http://i.imgur.com/JyQOL.jpg http://i.imgur.com/JyQOL.jpg I assume it's not made from softer materials because they would be more porous and therefore more prone to irritation and infection. I know some people who take their eye out at night and I've heard different opinions from different doctors, but the general consensus from both my eye doctor and my ocularist is that unless there's irritation to leave it in and leave it alone. Occasionally, during allergy season, I'll need to take it out and rinse it off, but for the most part, I just leave it be and it's fairly self-cleaning. I get it professionally polished once a year and the prosthetic itself needs to be replaced every 5-10yrs. Bruising isn't a huge issue, but it's the most frequent "complication" I have and is something I probably end up doing every few months. I can be a bit of a restless sleeper, though. :)
  - mirkules 15y ago
    Hey, thanks for the pics, I appreciate your effort behind your explanations. Good point about it being porous and prone to infection - I guess that's the unique thing about prosthetic eyes: they are worn both inside and outside the body, so must be robust enough to withstand environmental elements, and also be safe to be inside the eye socket.

kingkawn 15y ago

Also I'd be interested to look at if the relatively benign radiation from electronic devices becomes much more significant when operating inside of the skull.

mirkules 15y ago
Good point. I would look at wireless sound devices that fit inside the ear canal (if there are such things). My hunch is that hearing loss is more common than loss of eyeballs, so there are probably more experimental devices and more studies conducted with those.

mirkules 15y ago

That's interesting. Is it mostly scar tissue inside the eye socket, then? Also, I would have thought one takes out the prosthetic eye when going to sleep, like a contact lens. But if bruising is a problem, why aren't they made from softer / squishier materials?

kellishaver 15y ago
I wouldn't say there's a lot of scar tissue. It's basically just skin. There are two types of prosthetic eyes. The one I have, the more "traditional" prosthesis, is two parts. There's a clear sphere made of medical grade plastic implanted in the back of my eye socket and then there is skin and muscle over top of that. The prosthesis sits in the eye on top of this sphere. The newer variety has a post that attaches to this to allow for more eye movement. If you're not one to be easily bothered by such things, I've upload a couple of (somewhat blurry, my apologies) pictures. The eye socket: http://i.imgur.com/DogTz.jpg http://i.imgur.com/DogTz.jpg The Prosthesis: http://i.imgur.com/JyQOL.jpg http://i.imgur.com/JyQOL.jpg I assume it's not made from softer materials because they would be more porous and therefore more prone to irritation and infection. I know some people who take their eye out at night and I've heard different opinions from different doctors, but the general consensus from both my eye doctor and my ocularist is that unless there's irritation to leave it in and leave it alone. Occasionally, during allergy season, I'll need to take it out and rinse it off, but for the most part, I just leave it be and it's fairly self-cleaning. I get it professionally polished once a year and the prosthetic itself needs to be replaced every 5-10yrs. Bruising isn't a huge issue, but it's the most frequent "complication" I have and is something I probably end up doing every few months. I can be a bit of a restless sleeper, though. :)
- mirkules 15y ago
  Hey, thanks for the pics, I appreciate your effort behind your explanations. Good point about it being porous and prone to infection - I guess that's the unique thing about prosthetic eyes: they are worn both inside and outside the body, so must be robust enough to withstand environmental elements, and also be safe to be inside the eye socket.