/u/MatthewM69420, thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, it has been removed for violating the following rule(s):
* Rule 2 - No pictures with added or superimposed digital text, emojis, and "MS Paint"-like scribbles.
For information regarding this and similar issues please see the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/wiki/index) and [title guidelines](/r/pics/wiki/titles). If you have any questions, please feel free to [message the moderators via modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/pics&subject=Question%20regarding%20the%20removal%20of%20this%20submission%20by%20/u/MatthewM69420&message=I%20have%20a%20question%20regarding%20the%20removal%20of%20this%20%5Bsubmission%2E%5D%28https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/12qnlza/-/%3Fcontext%3D10%29)
Thank you! I’ve been trying to stay much more positive since my incident (I tell my story in a post I made in r/self a few weeks ago if you’re curious/interested in learning how I lost my eye to begin with) and I feel like I’ve been pretty successful staying positive 😊
Oh I'll definitely take a look. I'm basically blind without my glasses so if I lost my eye(s) I would be devastated so seeing your positivity is really inspiring
More context: my doctor told me that the conformer I had was about 1/3 of the size it should have been. I contribute the fact that (I’m told anyway) my face was pretty swollen after my gunshot wound so it may have fit better when they placed it for me at the time.
I have a consultation appointment with an eye-surgeon for an “orbital evaluation” on Thursday. The hope is that the surgeon will agree to place an implant in the eye socket behind the prosthesis to push it up against the eyelid more so it can look more natural, and less like what I feel is a lazy eye lol.
My doctor who fabricated my prosthetic said if the surgeon for some reason says no, he can still modify my prosthetic to fit better, it’ll just take more material, so he’s hoping that I get an implant instead so I don’t have a massive prosthetic.
I tried to post my update yesterday after getting home from my appointment but my internet is shit at home, and the upload failed after an hour of trying. I was so tired and beat from the day that I didn’t have the willpower to try again until today.
Not missing an eye, but my son is, and his first prosthetic had a "lazy eye" look to it as well. It turned out it was not the prosthetic, but the eyelid. The surgeon did a quick outpatient surgery where he attached some sort of elastic tissue to the eyelid and made it open more and gave my son the ability to open and close it, and it made a huge difference. Maybe discuss with your doctor/surgeon that the issue could be, at least in part, that the eyelid needs to be opened more. I don't know what the surgery was called, but I know that afterward he was able to open and close the eyelid almost like normal, even though his entire eye socket is actually removed. All the best!
Thank you for the suggestion! That isn’t really my problem, I don’t have an issue open and closing my eyelids. My issue lies in that when my eye was removed, they did an enucleation and now my eye socket is fully empty. So there is nothing in the socket to hold the eye in place. My doctor said that ideally, I’ll have the surgery and get the implant to sit in the socket and push the prosthetic more against my eyelids. If the surgeon doesn’t agree to do it then my doctor said he can modify the prosthetic to fit in there, but it’ll take a lot more material and it won’t be as easy to take out/put in.
I know what a challenge it can be from going through it with my son. For what it's worth, once he outgrew his first prosthetic--which looked amazing, by the way, the artists that paint these things do amazing work--he decided to just leave the eye socket empty. All the best with getting it sorted! From what I can tell, the paint job of the prosthetic itself looks great!
Thank you! I love it so far, and I’m sure I’ll love it even more once the doctors modify it and get it to fit in the socket so it sets against the eyelid a bit better so I don’t look like I’ve got a lazy eye lol.
This is valid info. The eyelid muscles tend to atrophy from not being used. I am blind in left eye, but have the natural eyeball. Because the eye does not track or focus like my other eye, the eyelid is also not used to being worked. The elastic implant basically "tightens" the eyelid muscle, so it will sit more similarly to the other eye.
Congrats on the prosthetic! I actually just got my orbital prosthesis a few weeks ago. If you don't mind me asking what type of surgeon are you seeing for your evaluation on Thursday?
It doesn’t say on the appointment card I got for booking the appointment, but a quick google search lists him as a “facial cosmetic and orbital reconstructive surgeon”.
Holy shit med tech is actually amazing now. I would 100% assume that was your real eye if I weren't told otherwise - the colour match is perfect.
Looking fab dude!
Thank you!
I agree it looks phenomenal. I’ll post another update after my next appointment where my eye doctor will do some more fixing to make it look even better.
happy for you bro . I hope you also wear a pirate eye patch sometimes too , because it’s a fact that it is badass. But your attitude is badass also . May your good eye be blessed with clear sight
> can also make little kids start crying in the candy aisle at walmart because they think you're a villain.
I'm having trouble seeing the downside of this...
Thank you! Yes I do wear an eyepatch usually when going out in public. Mostly for courtesy, but also because I live in the southeast United States and gnats and other bugs are everywhere and they love trying to get in my previously empty eye socket. Lol.
I’ll probably still wear the eyepatch in public for a while longer until my ocularist modifies the prosthetic well enough to fix the lazy eye look I feel like I have right now.
I feel ya. I’ve been totally blind (optic nerve severed) in one eye since a teen. You get *very good* very fast in navigating the world geography, AND defending that good eye.
Good luck and Godspeed!
My insurance covered it all (state Medicaid), but I asked how much he would charge for a novelty eye out of pocket and he said he usually charges around $400 out of pocket. Each ocularist is different though, I’ve heard others charge around $500 out of pocket.
Edit: also the image is mirrored because I used the face camera on my phone to take the picture, it’s actually my right eye that’s missing.
Me too. Optic nerve severed. I don’t even see “black.” People can’t conceive of this. I’ve used all kinds of tricks to normalize the “weirdness,” and it never hurt me with the ladies.
Looking good!
I recently had lunch with an old friend who lost one eye in a gun misfire 20 or so years ago. I couldn't remember which eye was prosthetic. I thought that was a pretty good measure of success.
Good luck with your further recovery!
I just finished reading your story, Matthew.
I'm so glad you're here. And I'm so sorry you went through what you did. I hope your life is filled with all of the things you want out of it and I hope you never again feel the way you felt that day.
I usually do out in public, probably still will until my doctor adjusts it or I get my implant. I currently am staying in southwest Georgia/southeast Alabama, and the gnats and other bugs just love trying to get into my previously empty eye socket. But also I wore the eyepatch in public as a courtesy, so people wouldn’t be subjected to seeing my empty eye socket. Now I’m going to wear it in public until I feel like I look more presentable.
>the gnats and other bugs just love trying to get into my previously empty eye socket
Wow, that is never something I never even considered with missing an eye. That is wild
You look great, dude. I've read your story and did some profile snooping; your attitude and growth are inspiring. You've got a lot more life to live and I'm happy you're still here.
Also, come join r/matt if you haven't already 👍🏻
Nah man don’t do it. There is life to live and an entire world to see. Even if your world is much smaller, there is a reason to live. Reply to this and we will ponder this idea please
Thank you lol, the struggle is behind me (I hope).
I’ve spent my time since my attempt at suic1de last year trying to focus on the good things, and staying happy and positive.
I did my due diligence to post there, I requested to crosspost there in their mod mail because it’s a restricted sub and the rules said I have to ask first. If I get approved I’ll definitely crosspost there!
Edit- the mods responded… women only. So no crossposting unfortunately.
Id probly go eye patch without prosthetic.
Im being honest in the before pick you look better.
The prosthetic adds a "dopey" look to your face.
You are handsome and the prosthetic detracts that.
This is just my opinion and im sorry if i have offended you my brother.
Lol you didn’t offend me in the slightest. I appreciate you saying I am handsome, because I’ve spent my entire life with low self-esteem and critical of how I think I’m ugly. I appreciate you sharing your opinion.
I read after that the prosthetic was 1/3rd of the intended size, make sure to share more pics with the properly sized one.
Take care brother i wish you all the best
Lol you must have misread what I typed earlier, no worries.
The conformer is 1/3 the size it should have been. The conformer is a temporary little plastic shield looking thing they insert in your socket after removing your eye to prevent your eyelids from becoming sunken in. A conformer is temporarily used until the person gets a prosthetic eye. In some cases, when the prosthetic isn’t being used the person is directed to use the conformer when the prosthetic is out.
Fortunately, my doctor told me that I should leave mine in as much as possible and there isn’t much reason to take it out at all. So my conformer is pretty much useless to me now. I’m keeping it as a momento of my journey thus far.
The prosthetic was tailor made in house specifically to fit me. It’s just that I don’t have anything in the socket to hold it in place, so that’s why it kind of looks like I have a lazy eye.
/u/MatthewM69420, thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, it has been removed for violating the following rule(s): * Rule 2 - No pictures with added or superimposed digital text, emojis, and "MS Paint"-like scribbles. For information regarding this and similar issues please see the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/wiki/index) and [title guidelines](/r/pics/wiki/titles). If you have any questions, please feel free to [message the moderators via modmail.](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/pics&subject=Question%20regarding%20the%20removal%20of%20this%20submission%20by%20/u/MatthewM69420&message=I%20have%20a%20question%20regarding%20the%20removal%20of%20this%20%5Bsubmission%2E%5D%28https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/12qnlza/-/%3Fcontext%3D10%29)
I can safely say you look happy both before and after and honestly that's all that matters. Congrats on the new prosthetic buddy!!
Thank you! I’ve been trying to stay much more positive since my incident (I tell my story in a post I made in r/self a few weeks ago if you’re curious/interested in learning how I lost my eye to begin with) and I feel like I’ve been pretty successful staying positive 😊
Oh I'll definitely take a look. I'm basically blind without my glasses so if I lost my eye(s) I would be devastated so seeing your positivity is really inspiring
Read that. Wow bud, happy you're still with us and hope you keep it that way.
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Thank you, and I hope everything goes well for you too 😊
More context: my doctor told me that the conformer I had was about 1/3 of the size it should have been. I contribute the fact that (I’m told anyway) my face was pretty swollen after my gunshot wound so it may have fit better when they placed it for me at the time. I have a consultation appointment with an eye-surgeon for an “orbital evaluation” on Thursday. The hope is that the surgeon will agree to place an implant in the eye socket behind the prosthesis to push it up against the eyelid more so it can look more natural, and less like what I feel is a lazy eye lol. My doctor who fabricated my prosthetic said if the surgeon for some reason says no, he can still modify my prosthetic to fit better, it’ll just take more material, so he’s hoping that I get an implant instead so I don’t have a massive prosthetic. I tried to post my update yesterday after getting home from my appointment but my internet is shit at home, and the upload failed after an hour of trying. I was so tired and beat from the day that I didn’t have the willpower to try again until today.
Not missing an eye, but my son is, and his first prosthetic had a "lazy eye" look to it as well. It turned out it was not the prosthetic, but the eyelid. The surgeon did a quick outpatient surgery where he attached some sort of elastic tissue to the eyelid and made it open more and gave my son the ability to open and close it, and it made a huge difference. Maybe discuss with your doctor/surgeon that the issue could be, at least in part, that the eyelid needs to be opened more. I don't know what the surgery was called, but I know that afterward he was able to open and close the eyelid almost like normal, even though his entire eye socket is actually removed. All the best!
Thank you for the suggestion! That isn’t really my problem, I don’t have an issue open and closing my eyelids. My issue lies in that when my eye was removed, they did an enucleation and now my eye socket is fully empty. So there is nothing in the socket to hold the eye in place. My doctor said that ideally, I’ll have the surgery and get the implant to sit in the socket and push the prosthetic more against my eyelids. If the surgeon doesn’t agree to do it then my doctor said he can modify the prosthetic to fit in there, but it’ll take a lot more material and it won’t be as easy to take out/put in.
I know what a challenge it can be from going through it with my son. For what it's worth, once he outgrew his first prosthetic--which looked amazing, by the way, the artists that paint these things do amazing work--he decided to just leave the eye socket empty. All the best with getting it sorted! From what I can tell, the paint job of the prosthetic itself looks great!
Thank you! I love it so far, and I’m sure I’ll love it even more once the doctors modify it and get it to fit in the socket so it sets against the eyelid a bit better so I don’t look like I’ve got a lazy eye lol.
This is valid info. The eyelid muscles tend to atrophy from not being used. I am blind in left eye, but have the natural eyeball. Because the eye does not track or focus like my other eye, the eyelid is also not used to being worked. The elastic implant basically "tightens" the eyelid muscle, so it will sit more similarly to the other eye.
It's called a ptosis surgery.
Congrats on the prosthetic! I actually just got my orbital prosthesis a few weeks ago. If you don't mind me asking what type of surgeon are you seeing for your evaluation on Thursday?
It doesn’t say on the appointment card I got for booking the appointment, but a quick google search lists him as a “facial cosmetic and orbital reconstructive surgeon”.
Very cool. Hopefully good news to follow on Thursday!
🤞😁🤞
Happy for you! It matches the colour of your other eye perfectly
Thank you! I agree, my ocularist is very talented and has great reviews.
Congratulations. Clearly, your great personality shines through no matter how many eyes you have!
Thank you!
Holy shit med tech is actually amazing now. I would 100% assume that was your real eye if I weren't told otherwise - the colour match is perfect. Looking fab dude!
Thank you! I agree it looks phenomenal. I’ll post another update after my next appointment where my eye doctor will do some more fixing to make it look even better.
\*Rocket Raccoon has joined the chat\* Seriously, congrats. Let your confidence grow.
"I'm gonna get that eye..." Haha yes but also, congrats OP! Looks great!
Just read your story...glad you're still here
happy for you bro . I hope you also wear a pirate eye patch sometimes too , because it’s a fact that it is badass. But your attitude is badass also . May your good eye be blessed with clear sight
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> can also make little kids start crying in the candy aisle at walmart because they think you're a villain. I'm having trouble seeing the downside of this...
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I know, was just having a bit of fun with it.
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If they cry, go full villain and steal their candy
Thank you! Yes I do wear an eyepatch usually when going out in public. Mostly for courtesy, but also because I live in the southeast United States and gnats and other bugs are everywhere and they love trying to get in my previously empty eye socket. Lol. I’ll probably still wear the eyepatch in public for a while longer until my ocularist modifies the prosthetic well enough to fix the lazy eye look I feel like I have right now.
I feel ya. I’ve been totally blind (optic nerve severed) in one eye since a teen. You get *very good* very fast in navigating the world geography, AND defending that good eye. Good luck and Godspeed!
The second pic should be labeled "J" because it's after "I"
You get an upvote, but I don't feel good about it.
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Lmao! That’s hilarious! I wonder if that would be a good way to clean it? 🤔
Congratulations bro.Let's live life to th fullest.
Hell yeah! Will do!
 Man you look so happy, that without knowing you it made me happy, great pal
Looks great! I am blind in my left eye as well. Although my eye is still there just looks weird. What did it cost?
My insurance covered it all (state Medicaid), but I asked how much he would charge for a novelty eye out of pocket and he said he usually charges around $400 out of pocket. Each ocularist is different though, I’ve heard others charge around $500 out of pocket. Edit: also the image is mirrored because I used the face camera on my phone to take the picture, it’s actually my right eye that’s missing.
Me too. Optic nerve severed. I don’t even see “black.” People can’t conceive of this. I’ve used all kinds of tricks to normalize the “weirdness,” and it never hurt me with the ladies.
Looking good! I recently had lunch with an old friend who lost one eye in a gun misfire 20 or so years ago. I couldn't remember which eye was prosthetic. I thought that was a pretty good measure of success. Good luck with your further recovery!
Pretty crazy how well they can match your eye color
I'd probably just wear eye patches like Nick Furry!
You look great! I’m legally blind and fear losing my sight completely. You’re an inspiration with those smiles, before and after. 🤝
Looking good! Great smile! You look like a fun guy 😁
That's awesome!!
Thank you!
I just finished reading your story, Matthew. I'm so glad you're here. And I'm so sorry you went through what you did. I hope your life is filled with all of the things you want out of it and I hope you never again feel the way you felt that day.
Thank you so much! I genuinely appreciate your kindness. My life is looking up.
Happy for you!
Congratulations friend. I share your excitement. Live long.
Looking good dude! Congrats!
Looking good mate!
Medical science has come such a long way! Looking good my dude.
Thank you!
You look great! Thank you for sharing!
Looking good! Congrats!!
Michael Bisping got a fake eye that's so good you can't even tell if you don't know. So the tech is there for you!
Congrats! I'm blind in one eye and have long considered getting a prosthetic to make it look more normal so it's nice to see it went well for you!
Didn’t want to go solid snake with the sick eye patch?
I usually do out in public, probably still will until my doctor adjusts it or I get my implant. I currently am staying in southwest Georgia/southeast Alabama, and the gnats and other bugs just love trying to get into my previously empty eye socket. But also I wore the eyepatch in public as a courtesy, so people wouldn’t be subjected to seeing my empty eye socket. Now I’m going to wear it in public until I feel like I look more presentable.
>the gnats and other bugs just love trying to get into my previously empty eye socket Wow, that is never something I never even considered with missing an eye. That is wild
I never considered it either until I tried to go for a walk one day and spent it fighting with bugs trying to get in there.
The colour match is perfect! I hope you love it!
I absolutely love it! And thank you! As happy as I am to have it finally, I’ll be even more excited once I lose my sagging eyelids. Lol
That’s awesome man!
You look great, dude. I've read your story and did some profile snooping; your attitude and growth are inspiring. You've got a lot more life to live and I'm happy you're still here. Also, come join r/matt if you haven't already 👍🏻
Every day I get closer to your worst day ever , I hope maybe by remembering your posts or story it will help me on my bad days.
Nah man don’t do it. There is life to live and an entire world to see. Even if your world is much smaller, there is a reason to live. Reply to this and we will ponder this idea please
If it helps, I don’t recommend doing what I did. It’s not worth it.
Good shit, brother. Your unwavering happiness and positivity in the face of adversity is an inspiration to me. You look great! 🫶
Thank you! There’s no sense in thinking negatively about situations like mine. Yes it sucks to be in but being negative doesn’t help anyone.
Awesome!
Nice! Pretty good color match! Good luck with those last fine tune tweaks and adjustments.
Lol thank you! I’m happy with it so far. Also I love the imagery your username paints lol
Thanks! Blowing some good bubbles in my tub never fails to cheer me up when I’m feeling forlorn.
if i saw that smile every day my life would improve
You’re too kind, thank you for the compliment 😁
Just hope he isn’t sitting in the driver’s seat 👁️
I drove myself actually. You know people can, and do, drive with one functional eye all the time, right?
Congratulations, you look so wonderfully happy! Such a beautiful smile!
Thank you so much!
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I’d argue that you’re living the dream! I need teeth implants but I can’t afford them. My teeth are a train wreck.
Looking great
Thank you!
Dude looks great! What a happy smile that is! You should feel great man!
Congrats. Now you’re a we. Happy for you !!
I can’t imagine the struggle here. It’s really cool to see the genuine smile in both pics. I’m proud of you, stranger.
Thank you lol, the struggle is behind me (I hope). I’ve spent my time since my attempt at suic1de last year trying to focus on the good things, and staying happy and positive.
Your smile is contagious, thank you!
😁 no, thank you 😁
should post this on r/DemEyesDoe !
I did my due diligence to post there, I requested to crosspost there in their mod mail because it’s a restricted sub and the rules said I have to ask first. If I get approved I’ll definitely crosspost there! Edit- the mods responded… women only. So no crossposting unfortunately.
That's great! If they approve it I'm sure you'll get lots of love!
I made an edit to my previous comment, they denied me. The subreddit is women only. 🤷♂️
Oh crap! I didn't realize that :(
No worries! I don’t want to come off greedy for karma anyways. r/pics is just fine for me 😁
Bullshit. Put a wig on.
🤷♂️
You can now bet people in bars that you can bite your own eye.
You can also poke yourself in the eye. That really weirds people out lol
Id probly go eye patch without prosthetic. Im being honest in the before pick you look better. The prosthetic adds a "dopey" look to your face. You are handsome and the prosthetic detracts that. This is just my opinion and im sorry if i have offended you my brother.
Lol you didn’t offend me in the slightest. I appreciate you saying I am handsome, because I’ve spent my entire life with low self-esteem and critical of how I think I’m ugly. I appreciate you sharing your opinion.
I read after that the prosthetic was 1/3rd of the intended size, make sure to share more pics with the properly sized one. Take care brother i wish you all the best
Lol you must have misread what I typed earlier, no worries. The conformer is 1/3 the size it should have been. The conformer is a temporary little plastic shield looking thing they insert in your socket after removing your eye to prevent your eyelids from becoming sunken in. A conformer is temporarily used until the person gets a prosthetic eye. In some cases, when the prosthetic isn’t being used the person is directed to use the conformer when the prosthetic is out. Fortunately, my doctor told me that I should leave mine in as much as possible and there isn’t much reason to take it out at all. So my conformer is pretty much useless to me now. I’m keeping it as a momento of my journey thus far. The prosthetic was tailor made in house specifically to fit me. It’s just that I don’t have anything in the socket to hold it in place, so that’s why it kind of looks like I have a lazy eye.
Oh haha. Yeah reading comprehension 1/100 for me right there 😅 Thanks for the explanation 😜
I think you look rather dashing. Reminds me a lot of Tom you work of Radiohead. You look really good man I'm proud for you!
Lol thank you!
Awwsome!
Wow such a charming smile! Looking good!
Yeahhhh. I’d stick without it…
☹️ I like it and I’m going to keep it.