My left eye was damaged in a car accident about 6 years ago, and suffered permanent and total vision loss in that eye despite several different surgeries to try to restore my vision. Because of the surgeries, my eye looks pretty weird when you look at it, for the pupil is all cloudy and almost white (I think it looks cool).

Over the past few years I have had an increasing number of infections in the back part of my left eye, and would require me to go to the eye doctor and either get oral or topical antibiotics, but mostly would receive an injection in the eyeball to help kill the infections. Every time I would go to the doctor, he would do an in-depth scan that would take a picture of the inside of my eyeball on different spectrums.

This weekend I started to notice some discomfort in my left eye again, and my eye became very itchy and irritated. As usual, I called the doctor and went in today for treatment (another shot). He did his scans and started looking at them. He had a lot of 'hmmmmmmmmms' in his analysis and thinks that I have a degenerative eye disease that has resulted from a lack of blood making its way to the eye due to all the scar tissue from the surgeries putting pressure on the blood vessels and depriving the eye of oxygen. Also the white blood cells aren't able to make its way to the infection site to help fight the infection.

The series of images he has acquired over the past few years shows an increasing area of the eye that is decaying and a larger area of infected mass. He's afraid that if I don't do something to eliminate the infections permanently that they may spread to my other eye and affect it.

He suggested that I may be a candidate for an eye enucleation (removal of the entire eyeball) and have all of the blood vessels cauterized to prevent the spread of infection. While that sucks a lot, he made a good point in that since I have zero vision in the left eye anyways that there wouldn't be very much of an adjustment period in terms of adapting to living with one eye. The only thing I would have to deal with is the fact that I am missing an eyeball and would have an empty socket.

He also told me that there are various techniques to get an eye prosthetic that would go in the eye socket and make me look "normal." There are permanent and nonpermanent solutions. The permanent ocular implants are pretty cool: they are made of natural or artificial sea coral, are carved into the shape of an eyeball, and placed into the empty eye socket. The blood vessels and muscles will grow into the porous coral material and I will have a "moveable" artificial eye. A plastic cover will be placed over the coral implant much like a contact lens that will have an iris, pupil, etc painted on it. What's good about this is that it is permanent and has the possibility of moving like a regular eyeball. This type of implant is usually installed during the same surgery as the enucleation.

The nonpermanent prosthetics are modern-day versions of the traditional glass eyes and are essentially a thick, acrylic, contact-lens-shaped piece of material with an iris, pupil, etc painted on it that is removable. Once fitted, the prosthetic eye will be inserted into the empty eye socket and is held in place by the muscles in and around the eyelid. A downfall is that the eye will not move. While this prosthetic does come out, it is recommended that once fitted with one, that you only remove it once every two weeks to a month to rinse it off with warm soapy water. It is to remain in the eye at all times, even when sleeping, showering, swimming, etc.

The ocular implant idea sounds like a winner to me, but the doctor is afraid that the damaged blood vessels in my eye socket would not be capable of accepting such an implant, would be not be likely to be able to "grow" into the material, and would most likely reject the implant, requiring another operation to remove it. I also could continue to have these infections that could spread to my other eye. He thinks that the removable acrylic prosthetic is my best choice for keeping my other eye as healthy as possible.

I told him that I wanted a second opinion, and he said that he already had consulted with some of his colleagues at the Emory University hospital downtown, and they will call me in sometime later this week for another diagnosis. Apparently he emailed them the images of my eye scans over the past few years along with some other data he collected.

Sounds like I'm going to have a good remaining part of my Summer, huh?

7/18/2006 2:11:26 PM

I really wanna meet you

7/18/2006 2:12:07 PM

Damn, that sucks.

Looks like this picture might become even more accurate

7/18/2006 2:21:20 PM

^ You should have seen me 6 years ago. I had to wear an eyepatch for a couple of months when I had all my surgeries.

7/18/2006 2:22:32 PM

helps your chances of running for student government

7/18/2006 2:28:03 PM

damn

7/18/2006 2:37:25 PM

damn dude, is there nothing they can do to save your eyeball at all?

7/18/2006 2:40:59 PM

I would go with the removable one.

7/18/2006 2:46:52 PM

Two years from now, you're going to be walking around with a parrot on your shoulder

7/18/2006 2:48:39 PM

good call on the second opinion. let us know what the other doctor says. best wishes!

7/18/2006 2:57:55 PM

I'm just glad to see your disposition is still optimisitic.

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 3:20 PM. Reason : tyuety]

7/18/2006 3:19:08 PM

that sucks, good luck with everything

7/18/2006 4:03:44 PM

damn that drunk driver really did a number on you

7/18/2006 4:13:38 PM

Go for the implants if your particular about looks or freakin out people. Did he say why your body might reject them and give you some % of success or is just like any other implant and its one of those 'it just happens' type things?

7/18/2006 9:09:41 PM

i'll be damned, i always thought joe17669 was an alias pretending to not have an arm...

7/18/2006 9:10:29 PM

Quote :

"damn that drunk driver really did a number on you"

Did you lose your arm in the accident as well?

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 9:19 PM. Reason : ]

7/18/2006 9:18:34 PM

eye patches + hot guy = win win

7/18/2006 9:19:23 PM

Quote :

"damn dude, is there nothing they can do to save your eyeball at all?"

This treatment was just recommended to me as a precautionary, but drastic, measure to end all the problems I have been having and to ensure that my other eye will be protected. This is why he sent my records over to another team of experts, who will see if they can think of any other forms of treatment as a second opinion. But like I said earlier, if I do end up having the surgery I won't have to go through the most difficult part of trying to adjust to life with one eye. I did this 6 years ago when the eye went blind.

Quote :

"I'm just glad to see your disposition is still optimisitic."

There's no point in being depressed about it. I mean, yea it sucks, but if it's going to be better for me in the long run, I'm all for it!

Quote :

"damn that drunk driver really did a number on you"

No kidding. All he got was a revoked license for a while and a slap on the wrist

Quote :

"Did you lose your arm in the accident as well?"

Yes, same accident. Happened right after senior week at Myrtle Beach the week after I graduated from high school.

Quote :

"i'll be damned, i always thought joe17669 was an alias pretending to not have an arm..."

You're fucking retarded. Please do not attempt to think and post at the same time, for it makes you look like a complete idiot.

Quote :

"eye patches + hot guy = win win"

Quote :

"Go for the implants if your particular about looks or freakin out people. Did he say why your body might reject them and give you some % of success or is just like any other implant and its one of those 'it just happens' type things?"

I'm not really particular about my looks. I mean, people already stare at me enough, I doubt they'll even notice a perfectly-still eye. I'm already trying to think of ways to freak people out and incorporating it in my halloween costume. Fake blood + empty eye socket = FTW.

He was thinking that my body might reject the implant because there are some damaged blood vessels going to my eye (at least he thinks that by looking in my eye). He didn't know of a particular rate of success for the implants, but I'm sure he could find out for me.

7/18/2006 9:57:49 PM

Well, sir, I applaud your upbeat and optimistic attitude.

7/18/2006 10:02:06 PM

if they can restore bloodflow to your eye see if dr. lazzi can hook you up with one of those bionic eyes he's working on

7/18/2006 10:07:41 PM

my dad has a fake eye, was shot in the eye with a beebee gun as a teenager....he takes the eye out and cleans it, but nobody has every seen him do this, even my mom.....he always locks the door to the bathroom when he does this.

7/18/2006 10:09:11 PM

i would go for the one that's permanent and can move around; i know i would feel really weird popping my eye out and washing it every two weeks.

7/18/2006 10:24:50 PM

7/18/2006 10:51:45 PM

jesus. when it's said and done your body will be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

oh no- i just read how your accident happened

[Edited on July 18, 2006 at 11:00 PM. Reason : .]

7/18/2006 10:58:40 PM

^ i'd be interested in finding out how much $$ the insurance company has paid on my medical bills, equipment etc.

7/18/2006 11:04:00 PM

honestly i dont really think and post too much

7/19/2006 1:08:20 AM

Well, from what I've read here's my personal opinion.

I think you need to get the eyeball removed. The ocular implant seems the best option. You not only need to consult another doctor but really consult with your insurance on some "what if" scenarios to see if the implant rejects what your options are cost wise.

If you insurance is supportive and there is no further damage that could come from rejecting the ocular implant, I say give that a try. At least you will have tried your best option for a seemingly functional eye.

7/19/2006 1:13:28 AM

^ that what i thought you should do too

7/19/2006 1:20:39 AM

^^ thirded

And I would also think about a completely unbiased opinion, like contacting another eye doctor, who is completely independent from your current one.

7/19/2006 3:55:03 AM

You should get a glass eye that has the NC State logo on it or maybe something else that would really freak people out.

7/19/2006 4:11:55 AM

well I got a call from the doctor's office to confirm my surgery date of October 2

9/15/2006 4:44:08 PM

ouch injection in the eyeball.....

9/15/2006 6:16:27 PM

Maybe you should talk to some folks that already went through this? You'r doctor or a blind-persons association should be able to find some folks you could talk with.

One on my family members had an eye removed several years ago (she had macular degeneration and complications, I think) and I now sometimes forget which eye is real because they both move and look real. And now she doesn't have to worry about her health due to the diseased eye.

9/15/2006 6:31:34 PM

how did the drunk driver get away with such little punishment?

this must be very hard to go through at such a young age but again, great attitude

life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it

9/15/2006 7:02:12 PM

if you have it replaced, make sure you keep your dead eye in a glass jar or something sweet like that.

9/15/2006 7:32:42 PM

hahahahaha i agree

9/15/2006 7:33:47 PM

Hope everything goes ok Joe#s...you have been through so much shit already....

9/15/2006 7:47:27 PM

wait wait ... so the drunk driver didn't get much in the way of legal punishment, but what about civil? Jackass is paying for this, right??? Because if he's not, and there's no hope of it in the future, I know someone who knows someone with a sniper rifle

9/15/2006 10:29:08 PM

hot one armed guys with fake eyes!!!

9/15/2006 11:13:21 PM

tomorrow's the big day

im to be at the hospital at 7, and then they'll roll me into surgery. i will stay the night for observation, and then checked the next morning before i am discharged.

10/1/2006 8:53:16 PM

Keep it in one thread, Narcissus.

10/1/2006 9:08:33 PM

am i the first person that just started scrolling to the bottom after i saw how many words were in that post?

10/1/2006 9:09:55 PM

yes, cuz most of us read this months ago.

10/1/2006 9:22:00 PM

good luck, joe#s. hope everything goes well.

10/1/2006 10:14:09 PM

10/2/2006 8:52:57 AM

i need to stop bitching about my life

10/2/2006 10:49:53 AM

good luck, joe#s. hope everything goes well.

10/2/2006 10:55:28 AM

good luck

10/2/2006 11:09:31 AM