Hey everyone,

I’m a 17yo guy from Pakistan, and I’ve been permanently monocular since birth. Honestly, living with one eye in a traditional, middle class household as an only child has been a wild ride.

Nobody around me really sees the hidden struggles, so I wanted to dump my thoughts here and connect with people who actually get it❤️✨.

Growing up, I always wondered what seeing the world with two eyes feels like. I even wanted to be a neurosurgeon to create positive imapcts and heal people, but few months ago I realized my vision limits wouldn't let me do that safely💔. It was hard to accept, but I adapted and switched my focus to Computer Science🙂.

The daily struggles are real, though like walking on Pakistani roads is highly stressful, everyone is rushing, cutting corners, and I’ve almost been hit by bikes multiple times because of my blind side☹️.

Also society here treats riding a bike as mandatory for guys. I can handle an empty road, but crowded traffic gives me insane anxiety because I’m terrified of causing an accident🙃.

Studying on screens drains me. My good eye loses focus and gets tired.

That constant, low-key fear of losing vision in my one good eye is always in the back of my mind. Also, I hate wearing contacts😅, so I just stick to specs (even if I forget them sometimes).

On top of all that, I’m a bit of an introverted, shy kid with barely any friends. Sometimes I look at the future and think, “Who’s going to marry a short, monocular guy anyway?” and figure I’ll just live alone with my parents, travel, and try to land a job at Microsoft, Google etc..

But honestly, I have big dreams and I really want to open my own NGO someday to support people whom society rejects✨🥹.

People expect monocular people are normal in traditional society, but don't realize how we are fighting everyday🙃.

Let’s talk in the comments! Drop your advice, share your own stories, or just dump your details below let’s navigate this together 🫀🫂

(Ps- Feel free to share whatever you guys wanna)

This is mainly directed to people born monocular or got monocular very soon in life

When i was in elementary school it was basically a daily routine that one or more of my classmates told me to cover my fake eye (prosthetic) and say how many fingers i see them holding up and then covering my good eye and telling them how many fingers i saw with my fake eye.

It was VERY awkward cause they'd just assume i was lying, so I'd just try to guess

Is this a common experience between monocular people?

Hey! I’m tired of the gunk…any recommendations online cleaning / ointments to keep from constantly having to wipe your eye?

I will be joining you all soon. I have been diagnosed with early AMD and have scarring on my left eye due to myopia that has resulted in vision loss that has been growing pretty significantly in the two months since it was diagnosed. I'm uncertain how long until I am completely blind in that eye, and the doctor also doesn't know.

Its been a pretty scary thing to deal with, since I'm only 31, and this came sort of out of nowhere for me. My doctor says it's just bad genes. For now my right eye is unaffected aside from the nearsightedness, and I've been trying to stay positive that it's just the one eye for now.

I must say, finding this place has actually been really cool, seeing people living their lives with just one eye has made it a little bit easier to deal with.

Has anyone else here lost vision so early in life? I'm still looking for advice and how to cope with how quickly it's progressing, but also trying to stay positive and appreciate what I have while I have it.

Thank you all for being openly cool and inspiring in all your posts.

Hallo, ich habe seit gestern einen seltsamen Augendruck/Augenschmerzen im rechten Auge. Wenn ich geradeaus schaue, geht es und es ist nur ein leichtes Druckgefühl. Wenn ich aber Augenbewegungen mache und nach rechts schaue oder nach oben, tut es weh und ich muss wieder gerade ausschauen. Ich sehe auf beiden Augen gleich, nichts ist rot oder geschwollen oder Ähnliches.

Ich habe bereits den Augenarzt in meiner Stadt angerufen, der ist aber voll. Ich habe dann die 116117 angerufen und die meinten, es klinge jetzt nicht ultraakut, sollte aber abgeklärt werden. Ich habe aber gerade kein Auto und kann erst morgen in die nächste größere Stadt fahren zu einer augenärztlichen Bereitschaftspraxis.

Hat jemand eine Idee, was das sein könnte, oder hatte schon mal ähnliche Beschwerden? Ich versuche, mich gerade nicht reinzusteigern, und hoffe, dass es reicht, das morgen abzuklären. Oder steigere ich mich komplett rein und es ist nichts, was akut geklärt werden müsste … Bin gerade echt überfragt.

I was born with one eye unable to develop and as such it has remained small. When i was young i was offered prosthetics but u refused as the thought sorta scared me. Now my eye socket is noticeably smaller than the normal eye, i was wondering if it's still possible to correct it with prosthetics?

​Hi,

​I’m a 29M engineer and have been functionally blind in my left eye since childhood due to an injury. Over the years, the eye has become shrunken, slightly red, and has sensory exotropia (drifts). My right eye has normal vision and alignment.

​I'm currently trying to decide the best path forward to restore cosmetic symmetry, improve social confidence. I’ve consulted two oculoplastic specialists and received two different perspectives:

​Doctor A (Surgical route): Recommended an evisceration with an orbital implant, followed by a custom ocular prosthesis. Her rationale was that because the eye has lost significant volume and sits deep in the socket, a non-surgical shell will not open the eyelid sufficiently or achieve good symmetry with my healthy eye. The implant would restore socket volume by 80–90% and provide a stable foundation.

​Doctor B (Conservative route): Suggested trying a scleral shell over the natural eye first before considering any irreversible surgery. She gave me a generic trial shell to test tolerance.

​My experience so far with the trial shell:

​During insertion, I struggled to place it correctly. Pushing too hard caused noticeable redness, irritation, and dull pain.

​Once it was seated, the eyelid felt tight and stayed half-shut initially, though it settled slightly after an hour.

​I'm currently resting the eye with lubricating drops (preservative-free sodium hyaluronate) to let the irritation settle before testing it again gradually.

​Where I need your advice:

For those who have faced this exact choice:

​If you wear a scleral shell over an atrophic eye: Did your eye eventually tolerate the shell comfortably for 10–12+ hours a day? Did it give you enough symmetry, or did the eyelid still look sunken/narrow compared to your seeing eye?

​If you chose evisceration + orbital implant: Do you feel it was worth undergoing surgery? How is your day-to-day comfort, movement, and maintenance (discharge/cleaning) years later? Any major regrets or complications?

​How noticeable is the cosmetic difference between a shell over a shrunken globe versus an implant-backed prosthesis?

​I’d really appreciate hearing your honest experiences and how you made your decision. Thank you!

first post here! i am monocular, i was born with a coloboma of the right eyelid (upper) and as a baby i was given a few surgeries to reconstruct the eyelid. even after the surgeries, my eye does not close all the way, and now being in my early 20s, im struggling to keep up with my eye.

i have extremely low vision, i can see blobs and colors. my eye is so sensitive to any sort of light, which in turn causes my good eye to close and wince. i have to wear sunglasses outside no matter what, and even with the shades i still struggle to drive/get around when my eye is extra sensitive. along with severe light sensitivity, it’s always watering. i’m missing a part in my eye that essentially drains or blocks tears from constantly flowing, so it leaks 24/7. i’m a big makeup fan so it’s really frustrating when it constantly messes up my makeup or gets my hair stuck to my face. it’s always red and watery. i’m really just sick of dealing with it.

my mom is not very keen on the idea of having my eye removed, but i know it’s because she loves me for how i look and she’s always loved my “little eye” (she gave my eye a nickname.) i feel stuck because i feel bad for my mom but also it’s just something i’ve had to deal with for my whole life. im tired of it.

i am stuck on what to do, so i thought id ask other similar people for insight. thanks :’P

I have a problem that seems quite uncommon, and I haven’t found anyone who experiences the same symptoms. I develop a strange, dull, heavy, and sometimes painful sensation in my right eye after using screens for only a few minutes. It can happen with my phone, laptop, or TV, but my phone seems to trigger the discomfort within seconds.

Once the discomfort starts, it tends to become worse with continued screen use. Sometimes even talking to people or making eye contact seems to aggravate it. Changing the screen brightness, adjusting the lighting, or using a different phone doesn’t seem to make a significant difference.

Even if I use my phone for only a few minutes and then stop, the discomfort can remain for several hours. I’m rarely completely pain-free, and constantly experiencing and noticing the discomfort has become very difficult. It has also started affecting my ability to communicate normally with [people.It](http://people.It) feels like my right eye is separate from my left eye, and it’s just heavier and different than my left one, that’s the best way I can describe it. My whole eye feels strained after a few seconds, mostly in the upper part, near the eyebrow and nose (see the picture below). It feels like a heavy pressure close to the upper right side of my nose.

I’ve seen several doctors and had my eyes examined, but so far, no one has been able to identify the cause or provide an effective treatment.

these symptoms started about two days after I fell while skating,and they have continued for about five months. I landed on my right buttock/hip and right hand and did not hit my head directly.

Could an injury or strain from the fall potentially be related to these persistent right-eye symptoms? Has anyone experienced anything similar or have any ideas about what could be causing this?

Im not good at english so i use chatgpt to address my problem clearly

Hey everyone!

Greetings from this side of the eye.

Recently I'm joining the group by accident I had a right enucleation and well here I am discovering things and so on ...

Has it happened to anyone else that in some angles when using the cell or reading whatever it is felt like the eye has an increase?

Thank you so much, because it helps a lot to have a community .... !!!

Tell me.... /

I have a question for partners of people who have undergone an enucleation of the eye. I’m looking for really honest feedback and please no judgement to those who are kind enough to respond.

I will be undergoing an enucleation in two months. After the initial surgery it will take some weeks to possibly a few months before I can have a prosthetic fitted so I will be appearing somewhat disfigured for want of a better word. I’m feeling a great deal of anxiety over this. I am married and my spouse has expressed support in a way that one would expect. However, once the reality of my appearance hits home, I’m wondering how impactful the missing eye will be.

So to those of you who have or had partners that underwent this process, what were your reactions to seeing them after the surgery, after the prosthetic, etc. I understand that everyone is different and each relationship is different but I want to get a sense of how the reality of this physical change affected you. Did it affect your physical relationship? Did it take time to get used to? And if so did it become a non-issue or remain something uncomfortable?
No judgement in how you truly felt. Im just looking for honest feedback here.

Thanks

Bit of context I had an enucleation 19 years ago and have a prosthetic eye. I also currently have an exposure (small hole in the tissue behind my prosthetic) which I’ve been to the doctor for and it’s been mostly unproblematic until a couple weeks ago and is currently extremely irritated and looks slightly worse/bigger. Should I leave my prosthetic out until I can see my doctor? If anyones dealt with this before I would greatly appreciate your advice!

I'm talking especially to people who were born monocular, but happy if there's more input from other situations.

I've been monocular my whole life with anophthalmia in my right side and I do notice i struggle a lot with my eyebrow on that side, when neutral its normal, but when expressing emotions.. not as much.

When i make an angry face the right side does lower, but the ending of the eyebrow always seem to be rised

Happy expression no much difference, same with surpised expression

But when i make a sad expression it's impossible for me to make a sad face, Im stuck looking like I'm questioning, It's overly rised and the end is pointing up

🧐

Its like i have no control on the ending part of my eyebrow

Can anyone relate? Or tell why this happens?

One of the hardest things for me to do being monocular is painting my nails. I wasn’t good at it with two eyes, and one has me so frustrated every time. The lack of depth perception makes it so difficult!! Sometimes I even miss getting the brush back into the bottle. And the mess I make on the nails themselves! Getting them done by a pro isn’t something I’m interested in. Does anyone know of any tips or a tool or something that could help?

So new issue has risen, my eyebrow wont stop twitching and its kinda pulling at my cheek as well? Its on the side that im missing my eye. Any ideas? Its been ongoing for a few weeks now

If a person is blind in one eye but has good vision in the other eye, and the functioning eye meets all of the Ministry of Transportation’s vision requirements for a regular Class G driver’s licence, is the person permitted to drive at night?
Would having vision in only one eye result in any restriction on nighttime driving, assuming the person meets all other Class G licensing requirements?