#i realize i was mostly focusing on the biking and scating

[snom-pixelates]

Hi! I saw your prosthetic eye post, and I was wondering if I could ask a question (mostly related to an oc) if you don't mind? I was wondering how active activities like running, biking, roller skating, etc. would be done differently? Like using any extra tools, preferred areas or terrain, or anything else that would be good to know? Hope this isn't too much of a bother, and I hope you have a rad day :D

Ah, thank you, thank you for the ask!

Honestly, if your character does well enough at walking with one eye, it shouldn’t be too challenging to do other things like running, biking, or skating! I personally love going on bike rides. I learned at the same pace as my siblings and was able to keep up with the rest of my family members whenever we went out to do outdoor activities.

People with ocular prosthetics can thrive in things that you’d otherwise think to be difficult for them. When I was in high school, I contemplated going into track and hurdling, something that very much requires being able to gauge distance and height [a task that can be very challenging for those with a limited depth perception like myself]. Even with the slight handicap, though, I was, shockingly, very, very good at hurdling! To the point where I almost considered ditching art to make it my full-time sport [I winded up liking art way too much to go through with that though, haha!]

Really, the only limitation is that you have to be extra careful to make sure you check your surroundings, specifically on your blind side [in this case, my right side]. I always check my right twice before I cross any street, just to make ABSOLUTLY sure no one is coming or speeding towards me before I go.

I also try to keep an ear out just in case, that way if I don’t see a car coming on my right side, I might at least hear it. That means I don’t typically listen to music on my headphones when I’m biking/roller skating around, just to make sure I have my sense of hearing to fall back on if I don’t think to look around first [I do always try to make sure I check my surroundings, though]

If it were up to me, I would stick to flat terrains. Dips/holes in certain pathways can sometimes look shallower to me than they actually are [the wonky depth perception really can throw you off in some areas]. And then when the bump hits, it can be a bit startling cause I’ll think the dip/hole wasn’t as deep as it actually was. This is mostly on dirt terrains or grassy areas. On roads, it’s a LOT easier to make out those dips and holes [not sure why. Harsher, more defined shadows on concrete is my guess]. I try to stay clear of them anyway, just because I’m a cautious person and I COULD still be gouging the depth wrong. Don’t wanna cause a hard fall cause I was being dumb and thinking ‘ehhh, that dip's probably not THAT deep’ and then guess totally incorrectly.

As for special tools, I personally only have my glasses, which are made with extra-strong plastic called polycarbonate. This ensures that they won’t break if, say, a ball or a stray pebble or pellet hits them. Last thing you want are your glasses breaking near your only eyeball. The glass is light and resistant and don't look much different from regular glasses.

In addition, my glasses also have a layer of UV protective coating to protect from any sort of harsh lighting from sunlight and computer screens. They're transition glasses, which can be helpful sometimes. When you've only got one eye, a glare/reflection on your glasses can take up most of your vision, which you definitely don't want when you're speeding around on a bike or skates.

My eye doctor does highly suggest that I wear glasses over contacts, as contacts have the potential to make my vision worse. So very high-quality glasses are a simple must for me.

Just a little note here. I got my glasses from my local eye doctor. Just a simple little place where you pick out frames and go in for the usual vision tests, the same place where my siblings got their glasses. It's not at the place where my prosthetic is made, and it's really not anywhere fancy. I think most places where you get glasses should have the option for transitional, polycarbonate lenses these days, but I could be wrong. Just know that these kinds of glasses can be expensive. So if your character is a little on the less financially stable side, they can make do with normal glasses. I did for most of my childhood and teenagehood. I'm just pointing out as a tool your character might utilize.

Your character might very well want to spend more money on high-quality glasses as a precaution so the lenses don't break and cause further damage to their eyesight. My doctor highly recommends safety glasses to everyone who experiences visual loss in one eye. Even if your character has good vision in the eye they still have, and they don't technically NEED to wear glasses, then they might still want to wear some kind of eye protection anyway, just to be certain they're protecting themselves from an accident that might lead to full blindness. [Such as: riding on a bike/skating and getting dust/debris/scratchy tree limbs into your eyes.]

In addition to making sure you don't go blind, safety glasses would also come in handy because dirt/sand under your prosthetic STINGS. The back of your eye socket is sensitive. You can feel every grain of sand underneath your prosthetic if it manages to get back there. Every blink feels like you’re being jabbed with a needle. It’s absolutely PAINFUL until you can clean back there, by either flushing out your socket with water or having a specialty eye oil. There's also the chance your eyes will tear up enough by themselves to get the dust out from underneath the prosthetic.

Anyway, I personally wouldn’t want to experience the pain of dust behind my prosthetic if I can prevent it. I DEFINITELY prefer wearing my glasses when I’m outside just to keep the dirt/sand out of my socket because OUCH. Just thinking about it makes me wince.

I picture that even if I didn’t need my glasses, I would have a fake pair, safety glasses, or even goggles just to have and put on for when I go riding/blading. That way if I bump into an overgrown bush or low-hanging branches, or there’s a harsh spray of sand/dirt, I won’t get anything under my prosthetic or have to worry about damaging the eye I still do have.

So yeah, goggles/glasses are a good tool to give to a character with an ocular prosthetic. For protecting the vision they do still have, and to make sure nothing gets underneath that prosthetic.

Overall, your character will likely be checking their surroundings more often than someone with two eyes, especially on their blind side, and they’ll probably try to avoid dips and cracks in the road and try to stick with flatter areas with smooth pathways. The not listening to music while biking/skating thing might just be me being cautious, though. I just personally always like having my hearing to fall back on just in case of anything, or at the very least having one earbud popped out.

Additionally, sometimes I don’t trust myself to not bump into other pedestrians on the sidewalk. So if there is a person on my blind side and I think a squeeze is too tight for us both [or for me to properly gauge], I’ll hop off my bike and walk it by instead, or just slow down just to make sure I don’t bump into them.

Nobody looking at me is going to know that I’m blind on one side. I have to be in control, know my limitations, and be sure to bike/skate responsibly. An ocular prosthetic doesn’t make me devoid of any fault. If I wasn’t paying attention, checking my blind side, or listening out for people, and I rammed into someone and injured them, that mistake falls on me. At least that's how I view it.

So… yeah! That’s all I can think of rn! Lemme know if I need to clarify anything or if you have any more questions!

[zephirite]

Saving for reference! Thanks for the info!!

Hi! I saw your prosthetic eye post, and I was wondering if I could ask a question (mostly related to an oc) if you don't mind? I was wondering how active activities like running, biking, roller skating, etc. would be done differently? Like using any extra tools, preferred areas or terrain, or anything else that would be good to know? Hope this isn't too much of a bother, and I hope you have a rad day :D

Ah, thank you, thank you for the ask!

Honestly, if your character does well enough at walking with one eye, it shouldn’t be too challenging to do other things like running, biking, or skating! I personally love going on bike rides. I learned at the same pace as my siblings and was able to keep up with the rest of my family members whenever we went out to do outdoor activities.

People with ocular prosthetics can thrive in things that you’d otherwise think to be difficult for them. When I was in high school, I contemplated going into track and hurdling, something that very much requires being able to gauge distance and height [a task that can be very challenging for those with a limited depth perception like myself]. Even with the slight handicap, though, I was, shockingly, very, very good at hurdling! To the point where I almost considered ditching art to make it my full-time sport [I winded up liking art way too much to go through with that though, haha!]

Really, the only limitation is that you have to be extra careful to make sure you check your surroundings, specifically on your blind side [in this case, my right side]. I always check my right twice before I cross any street, just to make ABSOLUTLY sure no one is coming or speeding towards me before I go.

I also try to keep an ear out just in case, that way if I don’t see a car coming on my right side, I might at least hear it. That means I don’t typically listen to music on my headphones when I’m biking/roller skating around, just to make sure I have my sense of hearing to fall back on if I don’t think to look around first [I do always try to make sure I check my surroundings, though]

If it were up to me, I would stick to flat terrains. Dips/holes in certain pathways can sometimes look shallower to me than they actually are [the wonky depth perception really can throw you off in some areas]. And then when the bump hits, it can be a bit startling cause I’ll think the dip/hole wasn’t as deep as it actually was. This is mostly on dirt terrains or grassy areas. On roads, it’s a LOT easier to make out those dips and holes [not sure why. Harsher, more defined shadows on concrete is my guess]. I try to stay clear of them anyway, just because I’m a cautious person and I COULD still be gouging the depth wrong. Don’t wanna cause a hard fall cause I was being dumb and thinking ‘ehhh, that dip's probably not THAT deep’ and then guess totally incorrectly.

As for special tools, I personally only have my glasses, which are made with extra-strong plastic called polycarbonate. This ensures that they won’t break if, say, a ball or a stray pebble or pellet hits them. Last thing you want are your glasses breaking near your only eyeball. The glass is light and resistant and don't look much different from regular glasses.

In addition, my glasses also have a layer of UV protective coating to protect from any sort of harsh lighting from sunlight and computer screens. They're transition glasses, which can be helpful sometimes. When you've only got one eye, a glare/reflection on your glasses can take up most of your vision, which you definitely don't want when you're speeding around on a bike or skates.

My eye doctor does highly suggest that I wear glasses over contacts, as contacts have the potential to make my vision worse. So very high-quality glasses are a simple must for me.

Just a little note here. I got my glasses from my local eye doctor. Just a simple little place where you pick out frames and go in for the usual vision tests, the same place where my siblings got their glasses. It's not at the place where my prosthetic is made, and it's really not anywhere fancy. I think most places where you get glasses should have the option for transitional, polycarbonate lenses these days, but I could be wrong. Just know that these kinds of glasses can be expensive. So if your character is a little on the less financially stable side, they can make do with normal glasses. I did for most of my childhood and teenagehood. I'm just pointing out as a tool your character might utilize.

Your character might very well want to spend more money on high-quality glasses as a precaution so the lenses don't break and cause further damage to their eyesight. My doctor highly recommends safety glasses to everyone who experiences visual loss in one eye. Even if your character has good vision in the eye they still have, and they don't technically NEED to wear glasses, then they might still want to wear some kind of eye protection anyway, just to be certain they're protecting themselves from an accident that might lead to full blindness. [Such as: riding on a bike/skating and getting dust/debris/scratchy tree limbs into your eyes.]

In addition to making sure you don't go blind, safety glasses would also come in handy because dirt/sand under your prosthetic STINGS. The back of your eye socket is sensitive. You can feel every grain of sand underneath your prosthetic if it manages to get back there. Every blink feels like you’re being jabbed with a needle. It’s absolutely PAINFUL until you can clean back there, by either flushing out your socket with water or having a specialty eye oil. There's also the chance your eyes will tear up enough by themselves to get the dust out from underneath the prosthetic.

Anyway, I personally wouldn’t want to experience the pain of dust behind my prosthetic if I can prevent it. I DEFINITELY prefer wearing my glasses when I’m outside just to keep the dirt/sand out of my socket because OUCH. Just thinking about it makes me wince.

I picture that even if I didn’t need my glasses, I would have a fake pair, safety glasses, or even goggles just to have and put on for when I go riding/blading. That way if I bump into an overgrown bush or low-hanging branches, or there’s a harsh spray of sand/dirt, I won’t get anything under my prosthetic or have to worry about damaging the eye I still do have.

So yeah, goggles/glasses are a good tool to give to a character with an ocular prosthetic. For protecting the vision they do still have, and to make sure nothing gets underneath that prosthetic.

Overall, your character will likely be checking their surroundings more often than someone with two eyes, especially on their blind side, and they’ll probably try to avoid dips and cracks in the road and try to stick with flatter areas with smooth pathways. The not listening to music while biking/skating thing might just be me being cautious, though. I just personally always like having my hearing to fall back on just in case of anything, or at the very least having one earbud popped out.

Additionally, sometimes I don’t trust myself to not bump into other pedestrians on the sidewalk. So if there is a person on my blind side and I think a squeeze is too tight for us both [or for me to properly gauge], I’ll hop off my bike and walk it by instead, or just slow down just to make sure I don’t bump into them.

Nobody looking at me is going to know that I’m blind on one side. I have to be in control, know my limitations, and be sure to bike/skate responsibly. An ocular prosthetic doesn’t make me devoid of any fault. If I wasn’t paying attention, checking my blind side, or listening out for people, and I rammed into someone and injured them, that mistake falls on me. At least that's how I view it.

So… yeah! That’s all I can think of rn! Lemme know if I need to clarify anything or if you have any more questions!