1958
My father was a mail carrier, and as an eight-year-old boy, I was going to “just” help him out for a bit. Using a special knife, I tried to cut the string on a mailbag. It didn’t go so well. Suddenly, the knife sliced through the string, and the blunt tip of the blade pierced my right eye. Total panic. That very same evening, I underwent surgery at the hospital in Groningen. During the operation, the remains of my eye were removed, after which an implant was placed in the eye socket, wrapped in donor connective tissue. The eye muscles were attached to this implant. A unique operation for its time! Thanks to this procedure, the prosthesis could continue to move. I wasn’t given any guarantees at the time. They told me it might work for a year, but perhaps even for the rest of my life…
2015: Change in the eye socket
In 2015, however, the appearance of my eye socket changed, and I began experiencing increasing irritation. I asked my ophthalmologist at the MCL in Leeuwarden for advice and also inquired about possible eyelid surgery. This didn’t clarify things much for me, so I set out to find more information. I discovered the website of the OOG in OOG Association and sent questions via email to Tonnie Landman. She sent me a list of orbital specialists in the Netherlands. This marked the start of an intensive “renovation.” In October 2016, I received a new glass ocular prosthesis from the Müller company. Unfortunately, I was only able to keep this new prosthesis in for one week and then put my old one back in. By then, I had received a referral from my primary care physician for a consultation with an orbital specialist. My first visit was in November 2016 with Dr. R. van der Veen at the UMC in Utrecht. He examined my eye socket and was very surprised. The implant had tilted, and the mucous membrane had largely disappeared; it was swollen and inflamed. A CT scan also had to be performed.
2016: Scan and Treatment Plan
On that day, the CT scan was performed first. Afterward, Dr. Van der Veen discussed two options with me. Option number one: a “simple” surgery to replace the implant, though the outcome would likely be less favorable (fluid buildup, etc.). Option number two: a so-called dermisfat graft surgery. This involves removing the old implant and placing a piece of muscle and fat tissue from my buttock into the eye socket. Healing would take about six to eight weeks. We chose this option.
The dermal fat graft surgery
February 2, 2017 – The big day had arrived. At 10:45 a.m., I checked in at the admissions desk in Utrecht, planning to stay in the hospital for one night. After a while, I was taken to the operating room. Dr. Van der Veen was there, of course. I was positioned on my left side, because they needed access to my buttock for the dermal fat graft procedure. I also briefly mentioned the “renovation” of my right eye. “Don’t you dare take my left eye!” Laughter filled the operating room. I wished everyone there good luck with the surgery. A moment later, I was completely out of it.
I slowly woke up again. Dr. Van der Veen came to tell me that the surgery had gone well. Thank goodness! Because of the pressure bandage on my eye, I might have to stay one more night. After a restless night (checkups, noise from my neighbor, pain medication), I woke up around 8 a.m. A short while later, the on-call physician carefully examined the results of the surgery and nodded with satisfaction. The wound on my buttock was also inspected, and since there were no complications, I was able to go home later that day. Hooray! I got a new pressure bandage on my eye, and my buttock was “wrapped up” again. I immediately called Joy, my wife, with the good news.
Rehabilitation
In the days that followed, my dear Joy took good care of me. The wound on my buttock healed well; after a week, I no longer needed a bandage, but it remained tender. For the first two weeks, a lot of fluid mixed with some blood continued to come out of my eye. “This isn’t cause for concern,” said Dr. Van der Veen during the follow-up appointment on Wednesday, February 15. He was satisfied with what he saw. My eye was moving well, too—though not quite like a normal eye—but this was the best possible outcome. His colleague, who performed the surgery with him, also stopped by to take a quick look at my eye, and he, too, was satisfied. Both explained that mucous membrane would grow over the implanted tissue.
From Glass to Plastic
On February 21, my eye patch had turned dark pink, which made me a little worried. I contacted the UMC’s eye clinic, partly because I had an appointment with Müller on March 13. Dr. Van der Veen advised that I could have a prosthesis fitted on that date but should not start wearing it just yet. Still, I had my doubts about whether March 13 might be too soon. Could it damage the new tissue? Or should I go with a plastic ocular prosthesis after all? So I reached out again to the OOG in OOG Association. We took another close look at the pros and cons of glass versus plastic. To be on the safe side, I also asked Dr. Van der Veen for advice over the phone, especially since fluid (mixed with blood) was still coming out of my eye. Regarding the new prosthesis, he advised me to go with a plastic one after all, because the shape and size of my eye socket could still change. Plastic is easier to adjust. I was convinced, so I immediately made an appointment with the Bak company for Friday, April 7, at the MCL in Leeuwarden. Of course, I politely canceled the appointment with the Müller company.
Grandpa Pirate
On Monday, February 27, I tried on a black eye patch. Joy took a picture and sent it to my daughter and grandsons: “Grandpa the pirate…!” They responded almost immediately, and the boys were very curious: “Grandpa, are you looking through your butt now?” “Yes, son, with my butt through my glasses!” Many people asked questions: “Did you get into a fight?”, “Did you have cataract surgery?”, and “Ha, a pirate!” I patiently explained what had happened and what would happen next. “Will you be able to see out of that eye again?” and “Will you be able to drive?” At a card game one evening, a lady said, “I don’t want to play cards with you, because you can only see half of the cards…” Well, that might come as quite a surprise to her…!
April 7, 2027: Fitting of an ocular prosthesis
On Friday, April 7, 2017, the new plastic prosthesis was fitted at the MCL in Leeuwarden. So exciting! Frédérique Bak examined my eye socket, reached into a bin of prostheses, and quickly pulled one out. The color was slightly off. “This will be fine when we make your permanent prosthesis,” she said. I hardly feel like there’s anything strange in my eye socket, and that’s exactly how it should be. “You can start wearing this temporary prosthesis right away,” she told me, “so you won’t need to wear the eye patch anymore.” I was already very happy about that. Just 14 more days to wait, and then the permanent prosthesis would be ready. After half an hour, I said goodbye in high spirits.
Peer Support Contact Day
On Saturday, April 15, 2017, I set out early to attend the Peer Support Day organized by the OOG in OOG Association, very curious to see what the day would bring. It turned out to be a very special day for me: hearing and seeing interesting facts and updates about living with and seeing with one eye, learning about prosthetics, and sharing experiences and stories with fellow members. All in all, a very successful day! It felt like a wonderful, warm family embrace! I hope to meet people from this group many more times. Kudos to the board of the OOG in OOG Association and the organizers of this event!
Old implant is for scientific research
On Wednesday, April 19, 2017, I had another follow-up appointment with Dr. Van der Veen. Even though it’s still just a “temporary prosthesis,” he thought it looked great. He was also very satisfied with the inside. As promised, he showed me the old implant: a white sphere about 1.5 cm in diameter, with a flattened side and four “handles” attached to it. The eye muscles were attached to these. However, I wasn’t allowed to take the implant home with me because Dr. Van der Veen wanted to preserve it for scientific research.
And then, finally… the new eye prosthesis
Accompanied by Joy and my grandson, I picked up my denture from Jelmer Remmers. Jelmer made a few minor adjustments, and it was ready. I could barely feel it anymore! A quick look in the mirror: I’m very satisfied—the prosthesis fits well, and it seems like my lower eyelid closes more smoothly around it than with my previous (glass) prostheses. An eyelid correction—which was still being discussed a few years ago—is therefore not necessary (for now). And the color is perfect, too. A true work of art!
Looking at the world with a smile in one eye
Now, after a few days, I’m already pretty used to my new prosthesis. I can barely feel it; there’s just a little discharge, but I’ve always been used to that. No more than before the surgery. And so here I am, a content and happy person, looking out at the world (mostly) cheerfully with one eye!
