Artificial Eyes Blog

Mike’s Hard Lemonade “Golf: Pirate” Commercial

Todd Cranmore — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:23:49 +0000

Okay, I saw this advertisement on tv this morning…it caught my eye!

Check it out below.

We do not necessarily condone partaking in Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Golf or Pirating. Good to see that the media continues to perpetuate the myth that artificial eyes are round spheres.

Montana Girl’s Cancer Battle Provides Inspiration

Todd Cranmore — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:33:54 +0000

Check out this story on KTVQ in Billings, Montana about Brynn Pule – certainly one of the cutest little ladies we know! What a delight that this family can share their struggles to encourage others. Thanks Brynn!

If you have a story that you would like to share, contact us and we would be happy to post it here.

Think about your eyes before you blast off into space!

Todd Cranmore — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:21:17 +0000

Doctors have examined the eyes of 27 astronauts to determine if there are any effects of pressure on the eyes due to weightlessness and the effects of the forces necessary to exit and reenter the atmosphere. Read the full article in the New York Times.

For now, they are not too concerned about it, but as longer periods of space travel and missions beyond low-Earth orbit are on the horizon, this could be a significant issue.

Just another thing to think about before you book your next flight with Virgin Galactic.

5000 Year Old Artificial Eye

Todd Cranmore — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:42:21 +0000

The world’s earliest prosthetic eye was worn by an ancient Persian priestess. The female soothsayer stood 6′ (1.82m) tall, and the mesmerizing effects of the golden eyeball would have convinced those who saw it that she could see into the future. “It must have glittered spectacularly, conferring on the woman a mysterious and supernatural gaze,” said leader of the Italian team Lorenzo Costantini, adding, “She must have been a very striking and exotic figure.”

The priestess lived 5,000 years ago in what is now Iran, where her skeleton was unearthed in 2006 by Iranian and Italian archaeologists excavating an ancient necropolis at Shahr-i-Sokhta ["Burnt City"] in the Sistan desert. The eyeball was made of a lightweight material thought to be derived from bitumen paste and later determined to consist of a mixture of natural tar and animal fat. Lines had been engraved radiating from the iris and gold that had been applied in a thin layer over the surface. A tiny hole had been drilled on each side of the half-sphere, which had a diameter of just over 1″ (2.5cm), so that it could be held in place with thread. Microscopic examination confirmed that the artificial eye had been worn during life: the socket had an imprint from prolonged contact and marks from the thread. Further analysis suggested that the woman may have had an abscess on her eyelid because of long-term contact with the golden eyeball.

Mansour Sajjadi (pictured), leader of the Iranian team, stated that the skeleton was that of a woman, aged between 25 and 30, whose cause of death could not be determined. She had lived between 2900 and 2800 B.C. and her facial characteristics (see video about facial reconstruction here) differed from the local inhabitants, suggesting that she had migrated from Arabia. “However, considering the usage of tar in the artificial eyeball and proficiency of jewelers of Burnt City during ancient times, what we can say for sure is that the eye was made in this city.”

Danish Olympic Gold Medalist Hoping for Gold Again

Todd Cranmore — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:43:21 +0000

Danish Summer Olympian, Dane Martin Kirketerp wears a prosthetic eye. This has not slowed down his hopes for repeating his gold medal performance from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Excerpt from new story on the UK Telegraph:

Kirketerp plays down a battle with cancer that caused him to lose an eye when he was one and a half years old.

“I don’t speak about it, not having one eye,” he says. “It’s just part of who I am and I don’t even think about it. I always had it so I don’t know any different.
“And anyway, I’d rather lose an eye than an arm. You can’t grind winches on a boat with one arm, but with one eye it’s no problem.”

Read full story here.

Injured Model Gets Prosthetic Eye

Todd Cranmore — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:55:28 +0000

We came across this story that has gotten a fair amount of publicity recently. We hope that she is doing well in her recovery and that she will be able to only be in the lime light when she wants to be!

Lauren Scruggs has a long way to go, but the model seriously injured when she walked into a plane’s propeller in December has received a new prosthetic eye and is adjusting to life after her accident. NBC’s Lilia Luciano reports.

Excerpt of ABC News Story by Lauren Sher:

Two months after she walked into a moving airplane propeller, Lauren Scruggs received a prosthetic eye, a major step for the injured fashion editor who is trying to rebuild her life post-accident.

The 23-year-old, whose hand was sliced off in the Dec. 3 plane propeller accident that also cost Scruggs her left eye, was fitted for the prosthetic eye last Saturday, her mother, Cheryl Scruggs, wrote on her blog.

“Jeff, myself, Lo and Britt showed up at 9 a.m. at the ocularist. We didn’t know what to expect, other than it would be an all day process from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Another new step,” her mom wrote on CaringBridge.org, where she documents the family’s journey. “She was fitted and measured. The ocularist carefully painted and shaped the new eye. By 5 p.m., it was done, and her new eye was in place. It is beautiful.”

Doctors at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital were forced to remove Scruggs’ left eye on Dec. 15., almost two weeks after the accident.

The first photographs of Scruggs, who friends and family call by her nickname Lo, emerged two weeks ago outside the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, where Scruggs has undergone intensive physical therapy. She had a white eye patch over her left eye in the Jan. 17 photos but seemed in good spirits, according to reports.

Scruggs’ mother also revealed that her daughter had a follow-up appointment with the prosthetic arm expert this week. “Praise God there are options,” she wrote.

The family has kept its focus on prayer as Scruggs recovers and comes to terms with her new reality. “Lo’s physical pain has subsided a great deal. It is now the emotional pain that is the tough one,” her mother wrote today.

Scruggs mother reports that her daughter is relearning how to walk, talk and dress herself as she pushes through tremendous physical pain. But she is still working through the grief. “We chalked up this past week as one of the toughest yet. You would think that things would be on the upswing, huh?” Cheryl Scruggs wrote on Jan. 27. “They are in some ways. She is progressing well, physically, but we have now entered into working through the five stages of grief. We have experienced a little of this along this journey, but we now face it head on.”

Artful Eye Surgery – King 5 News Featured Story on Prosthetic Eyes

Todd Cranmore — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:47:15 +0000

John Sharify with King 5 News followed a patient of ours through the whole process of having their eye removed due to pain and being fit with their new ocular prosthesis. This story aired on November 18th, if you missed it, check it out here: Artful Eye Surgery.

King 5 News Story on Artificial Eye Patient

Todd Cranmore — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:36:52 +0000

Over the last couple of months, a crew from our local King 5 News has been following a patient through the process of having her eye removed and getting fit with her new ocular prosthesis. Reporter John Sharify and videographer Doug Burgess from King 5 have been following Arlene Arcely for the last 3 months through this process.

The story aires tomorrow, November 18th at 5pm on King 5 TV. Tune tomorrow to watch it live, or we will be posting it to our website after it aires.

Two Artificial Eye Wearers Seek to Make Video Cameras of their Prosthetics

Todd Cranmore — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:38:03 +0000

It often seems that what we see in movies and TV, especially sci-fi, have a big impact on the direction of scientific progress. We have been following these 2 individuals for awhile now, and it seems that both are making progress.

Tanya Vlach, a popular visual artist in San Francisco lost her eye due to a car accident in 2005. Since this time, she has hatched a plan to create an artificial eye webcam. She sought out funding and found it and is on her way to her dream.

Rob Spence, a Canadian documentary film-maker also shares this same dream. He has created a blog titled Eyeborg Project and has been successful in placing a small videocamera in his prosthetic and transmitting the video wirelessly to a handheld device. He has also come up with an ingenious way of turning on the camera. Read his latest new story. His blog has an amazing video he put together looking into current and future possibilities for eye, leg and arm prosthetics. Fascinating stuff!

Fitness and how it can help with Cancer

Todd Cranmore — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:57:52 +0000

When it comes to dealing with cancer, many people believe that patients should take it easy and rest as much as they can. However, while proper rest is important, it is just as important for the patient to move their body and get some exercise. Whether they deal with a common cancer like breast cancer or a rare disease like mesothelioma, the benefits of fitness are hard to ignore, so long as their doctor deems it safe. It should be kept in mind that fitness does not cure cancer, and it should not be treated as such.

1. Increases Energy

Undergoing cancer treatment can leave a patient feeling tired and listless. They may not feel like doing anything at all, no matter what a task may entail. If they are taking part in fitness exercises, however, they may not experience as much fatigue. A good workout will rejuvenate the body, leaving it awake and refreshed. They will be able to get up and move around more, without the worry that they will wear out within moments.

2. Makes a Patient Feel As Though They Are In Control of Their Life

No matter what illness or problem a patient is dealing with, the chances are high that they do not feel that they are in control of their own body. While they may not be able to alter their medical procedures and what the doctor believes they should do, they can feel better about the situation. They will know that they can do certain things to improve their living situation, and they are not completely helpless. By taking on exercises, they can improve their body and mind. The American Cancer Society has health tips on their site that may be of interest.

3. Takes Away Some Nausea and Vomiting

A number of patients that go through chemotherapy in order to deal with their cancer find that exercise can help them deal with the side problems better. They do not feel as though they are going to pass out from feeling incredibly nauseous, and the urge to vomit is not as strong. For people that are afraid of nausea and do not want to deal with it at all, this is a benefit to keep in mind. Whether they are undergoing mesothelioma treatment or any other kind of treatment, exercise is an option.

Courtesy of Guest Blogger David Haas