putting oil in my artificial eye?

Category: Daily Living

Post 1 by Gilman Gal (A billy Gilman fan forever and always!!) on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 17:05:47

I got my eye removed in 2012. I have a fake eye now. Sometimes I have to put a drop or
two of oil in my eye to keep it lubricated. The oil is like eye drops, but thicker. I can not
for the life of me, put this in myself. Either I get to much and it gets everywhere, or I
don't get any at all. I don't want to waste it, it's not cheap. if anyone could help me I'd be
thankful. Thanks in advance.
All the best,
Cat

Post 2 by UniqueOne (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 17:16:27

Hello Cat,
I'm so sorry you have to go through that. I knew someone that lost both eyes and it was really bad.
I'm not exactly sure how it works so I'm sorry for anything I'm about to say.
Is it possible for you to take the eye out, put it with one hand on a flat surface, and squeeze the oil onto it that way? Or, you could put some where the empty eye socket is and rub it in before putting the eye back?
Again, I'm so sorry if I'm saying stuff in a wrong way!
I hope this helps!

Post 3 by Gilman Gal (A billy Gilman fan forever and always!!) on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 21:01:34

first of all, you don't need to say sorry. second of all, no, I believe you have to put it in
like drops, with the eye in place. I just can't do it with out either making a mess, or not
getting any in. It frustrates me, to say the least. I want to do it myself.

Post 4 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 21:11:55

If it is just lubricating oil for your prostetic, you should be able to just put it in
your palm. Its what I do when I need lubricant on my prostetics, though I don't
use any special oil. The best thing to do is just find a way to practice. Take an
old bottle of the oil and fill it with salene solution, then practice dropping only a
little.

Post 5 by rdfreak (THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE-BLUE KANGA-KICKIN AUSIE) on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 21:21:59

I take it an eye dropper isn't working or practical for this purpose?

Post 6 by vh (This site is so "educational") on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 23:05:14

SL's idea of practicing with saline or water is a good idea.
If that isn't helpful, what about thoroughly washing your hands, putting a drop of the oil on your fingertip and then gently rubbing your fingertip over the surface of the eye?
I've heard that there are some devices that are supposed to assist with inserting eyedrops but not sure on details (or frankly how they would actually help,(.
Good luck.
Have you tried lubricating eyedrops or eye gels? I've been using eyedrops of one kind or another for fifteen years so it is pretty second nature to me although sometimes I still miss or get too much.

Post 7 by AgateRain (Believe it or not, everything on me and about me is real!) on Sunday, 29-Nov-2015 23:28:32

Ok, so I will try to make sense here. This is hard since it's typing, and I'm not good at breaking things down, but let me try...


Ok, so I'm going to assume that these are drops you're putting in? If so, it usually works for me by pointing the tip either on the side or bottom of your eye. What I mean by this is to try to put the drops in towards your nose instead of just dropping where the center of the eye is. You can also point the tip towards the bottom lid of the eye. So you will grad the bottom lid of your eye, and aim in that way. While you're doing all of this, make sure you lean your head back so that the drops can actually get in the socket. I can tell if I've had enough because I can feel the drops working in my socket.


I hope this made any sense to you. If you want a verbal explanasion, just send me a message next time you're on. Putting hands in your face scares me. I heard infections suck, like biiiig time.

Post 8 by rat (star trek rules!) on Monday, 30-Nov-2015 2:30:40

If the bottle has one of those stouts that the drops come out of, I'd suggest gently putting that in the corner of your eye and giving the bottle a gentle squeeze. that way the oil goes right in your eye. I know it costs a bit, but it usually is better to have just a little too much than not enough oil, your eye will thank you for it. I canusually make my bottle last for about a year, and I have to use it in both eyes almost every day.

Post 9 by DevilishAnthony (Just go on and agree with me. You know you want to.) on Monday, 30-Nov-2015 3:29:48

I've had prostetic eyes since 1981. If I need oil, I squeeze just a tiny drop on to my finger, rub it over the prostetic, coating it well, then I slip it right in. One little drop goes a very long way. Something that might sound crazy but actually works is using a tiny bit of Vasolene instead. Just put it on the back of the prostetic, then slide it in. The rest will take care of itself. Don't get too much, or it will show.

Post 10 by Gilman Gal (A billy Gilman fan forever and always!!) on Monday, 30-Nov-2015 12:12:55

thanks for the tips everyone.

Post 11 by AgateRain (Believe it or not, everything on me and about me is real!) on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2015 0:43:15

Right, just simply saying the corner of the eye would have helped, but either way would work I guess.

Post 12 by snowflower (Zone BBS Addict) on Tuesday, 01-Dec-2015 20:25:33

Curious, what kind of oil do you use? Thanks.