Should I have my eye sockets rebuilt so I can wear prosthetic eyes?

Right now, I have no eyes or eye sockets. I lost them in Iraq and I have to wear sunglasses al the time. Right now the area around where my eye sockets would be is sown shut.

I'm not sure how to do that, a doctor would know best. But how the hell did you type and navigate the Internet with no eyes?!?? Thanks for going to Iraq, best of luck!

Depends on whether or not there is enough depth in the socket for the prosthesis to sit snugly. God Bless...you gave up a lot for us...wow. I can't even imagine.

I would say that would depend on you and what you want to look like. I have worked a number of years with an agency that serves the blind and visually impaired. Our main goal is vocational rehabilitation. I have seen people that did not have eyes and people that did. The surgery would be purely cosmetic since you will not regain any sight of course. If you are planning to try and re-enter the job market it is in your best interest to probably have the work performed strictly for the cosmetic improvement it will make. I would strongly suggest you work with your VA counselor and any other vocational rehabilitation agency in your area to help with your personal adjustment and independent living needs. Good luck to you. I think we are all taking for granted the sacrifices that are being made in the Middle East by our servicemen and women.

I have a friend with prosthetic eyes and eye sockets, and she does very well with them. Being blind myself I can't attest to their appearance, of course, but I am told that oculoplastic specialists can do wonders with these sorts of conditions. It will, of course, involve probably a number of surgeries and all of the complications that come along with that. But as an earlier responder mentioned, it will likely make your reintegration back into the workforce easier (it shouldn't be that way, but unfortunately it is). And anything that you can do to make your many adjustments (to blindness, to returning home from Iraq, to reassuming your family and working relationships) easier is probably a good idea. In the end, though, the most important thing is that you are comfortable in your own skin, eyes and sockets or none. You've made an incredible sacrifice, and I appreciate it more than I can say.