Hello, My name is Kelly:

Due to a birth defect, I have never had sight in my left eye. It remains behind my scleral shell, very small but still there.

I have had several eyes made in 30 years, the first by John Kelly when I was 4.

One thing that caused me to have many problems with my eye was the lack of an ocularist in the area where I grew up. The closest one was over 12 hours away by car.

Also, we were not covered by insurance. For those reasons, I had the same eye at 21 that was made for me at age 4. (My ocularist recommends a new prosthetic at least every 5 years!)

After I grew up, I was able to find an ocularist and was amazed at the difference a properly-fitted eye made. Mine is very low maintenance and I hardly notice it.

Due to the growth of my socket as I got older, there were times when I would trip and my eye would fly out onto the sidewalk.

One particularly embarrassing incident happened when I was bumped in the lunchroom in 5th grade. Can you believe my classmates still remember that story?

Since the eye was never polished, it would get rough and irritate the eye underneath. Growing up, it always looked like I was half asleep or had a cold in my eye.

My father was very creative in teaching me things which were difficult for me because of my lack of depth perception or hand-eye coordination. First, he would observe me, then close one eye and imitate what I was doing.

He would then correct himself and show me how to correct myself. This is how he taught me to throw, catch, and hit a baseball, shoot a pistol, and walk through doorways. My husband used a similar method to teach me to drive a car.

I enjoy playing co-ed softball and my teammates are always amazed at how I adapt. I also know my limits; I will probably never play shortstop, but I play catcher, first base, and all outfield positions.

My family also learned not to set things out without letting me know or making sure it would be easy to see. I have fallen into freshly dug holes, gotten clothes lined, broken toes, and gotten numerous bruises from open doors and recently moved furniture.

I just found out that I broke my nose once, probably 25 years ago when I ran face first into a rooftop antenna that was being installed.

I was always told that there is a reason for everything in life. I used to get upset and wonder "Why me?" when I would get injured because of my singular vision, or when I was teased.

One thing happened about 16 years ago that forever changed that. We had met through mutual friends and when we parted at the end of the evening, I didn't know what to say to him. My eye was dry and hurt so I blinked to wet it.

  I was so happy when I noticed him wink at me that I called him later that night and we talked until morning. It wasn't until we were married for many years that we discovered that he thought I had winked at him first, and he was only winking back!

I would be happy to write to anyone who would like to share their experiences or who could use some support.

Please feel free to contact me.

  Kelly

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