Losing an eye is a traumatic event. As challenging as the loss may seem, for the most part your life can proceed normally. Artificial eyes are virtually impossible to detect, so don't concern yourself too deeply about the cosmetic effects of the loss of an eye. The other primary effects of loss of an eye include the psychological effect; reduction in peripheral vision; decrease in acuity or detail; mild impairment in spatial orientation and coordination, particularly for close-up activities such as sewing or hobbies; and loss of depth perception, primarily for objects that are close, reports the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.
Step 1
Follow all medical advice of health care providers. Participate in any rehabilitation therapy they recommend. The loss of an eye requires adjustment, and trained specialists can help you to more quickly acquire skills and strategies to compensate for deficits. If you have an artificial eye, it will take several follow up visits to the doctor to ensure proper progress.
Step 2
Tend to your emotional wellness. If you have persistent sadness, depression, loss of interest in activities, anxiety or other disruptive feelings, speak with your medical provider. You can adapt to the loss of an eye, but lingering depression, anxiety and fear can sabotage your recovery. Find someone you can talk with about your feelings. Seek professional counseling if you struggle to get back to your normal feelings. Check out the website LostEye.com for one man's story and further support.
Step 3
Practice walking and moving about. Loss of one eye leads to initial deficits in manipulation, reaching, balance, coordination and motor movement, according to the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association. You may find yourself walking into people, tripping over objects or stumbling at curbs. Your movement and sense of space will improve over time. This process of relearning and accommodation is more difficult for people who are older when they lose an eye. However, slow, deliberate practice within a safe environment expedites the rehabilitation process at any age.
Step 4
Practice your other mobility skills. Practice driving, bicycling and operating other vehicles slowly and in a safe environment. Loss of an eye leads to an estimated 10 to 20 percent reduction in the field of vision, according to the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, which means you won't see objects off to the edge on the side of your lost eye. You must be active and turn your head routinely to watch for children, vehicles or other objects on your blind side.
Step 5
Work on your close-up skills. The difficulty with close-up activities is that people with two eyes use the different views offered by each eye as a cue to determine an object's distance. You can simulate the effect of binocular, or two-eyed, vision by moving your head back and forth. With practice, your brain will interpret the various images presented as you rock your head to infer the distance. This technique will work for objects within 20 inches or so. It won't help with something like boxing or baseball, where there is a fast moving object coming at you, but in those sports, athletes rely more on instincts and anticipation than on binocular vision. Depth perception for objects farther away should not be affected, as you rely on other cues, such as overlap of objects, relative size and perspective.
