MY DOMINANT EYE IS GONE! - What is a Dominant Eye - Dominant Eye Test - I Lost My Dominant Eye

I lost my dominant eye to cancer. Called ocular melanoma, this rare cancer caused a big tumor in my left eye, the same eye I used for photography, looking through peephole, a microscope, and a magnifying glass. The eye wasn't worth saving so I opted for enucleation. It took some adjustment but I do miss it sometimes because my visual cortex is mapped to favor that eye. So even though I have no eye in my socket my instincts are still to favor it.
On February 22nd 2022, I had my left eye surgically removed due to ocular melanoma, a rare eye cancer that affects about 2500 people a year in the USA. This video documents my recovery and healing after enucleation.
Because of the large size of the tumor (16mm wide by 7mm deep), the closeness to my center of vision and my retina detachment due to fluid leaking from the tumor, I was a poor candidate for brachytherapy ( radiation plaque). Radiation damage would had left me functionally blind in that eye along with probable cataracts and glaucoma.
Once I knew I was removing my eye (enucleation) I bought an eye patch to practice one-eyed living. I quickly discovered that I had full depth of perception with only one eye.
I bought a pair of swim goggles and blackened out the left frame. Then I waited for the sun to go down. I I caught my first wave easily and surfed like I had two eyes.
I knew then that everything was going to be fine. One eyed living would be grand.
But losing the eye is the easy part. The hard part is the lifelong risk of metaization in the liver and lungs. That's what makes this cancer so deadly. It likes to spread in the blood and is particularly fond of taking up residency in the liver.
There are no cures at the moment. So getting metastization is a game of whack-a mole where you keep treating the lesions while they keep trying to come back.
As of this date, July 4th, 2022 I am cancer free.
You can visit my Facebook page to follow my journey and see my awesome photos of sunsets, sunrises, moons and astral.
/ original.clay.butler
For more information about ocular melanoma visit:
/ acureinsight
acureinsight.org/
Prosthetic Eye by the Magic Hands of Steven Young
www.stevenryou...
My Ocular Oncologist who skilfully removed my eye
stanfordhealth...

[@renatoperezda]

I had the same issue. In 2006, I was diagnosed maligna melanoma in my left eye. I had the treatment (radiation for one week) but after that I had a lot of pain and in 2010 I got enuclated (removed) my left eye.
I am fine and living a normal live.

[@claybutler]

In my ocular melanoma groups I hear a similar story quite often. Went with brachytherapy first, but the subsequent pain and damage post radiation causes them to get the eye taken out so they can get relief. That's exactly why I went straight to removing my eye. My doctor made it very clear that I would be functionally blind in the best case scenario based upon the size of my tumor, the retinal detachment and how close it was to the center of vision. And then I looked at the data online and it matched what my doctor was saying. I just wanted to clean break from this cancer, because we all have to deal with the scans of our liver and lungs for many years anyway. I didn't also want to have to babysit a disease eye that was causing me problems.

[@renatoperezda]

@@claybutler I’m not a professional photographer but I like to take pictures-profesional camera-and I’m doing fine with one eye.
Cheers!

[@SharonJackson13]

Very interesting!!!

[@Amin_2k]

Very informative for me as a future doctor. Thanks!

[@kfamfun4485]

Hi. Can u share what camera you use to make this video and what software to put the video together/edit? Everything looks so clear and nice. I also enjoyed your video. Thanks.

[@claybutler]

My setup is super basic. Shot with my Galaxy S20+ propped up on a ring light tripod. But I don't use the ring light. I set up my portable retractable green screen in the living room facing our windows. I shot from 10am to 1pm when the room is bathed in soft light. I shoot UHD 30 frames using the the selfie lens (3840x2160). No mic, just the phones built in mic. I sit in a dining room chair. I do all the editing in Adobe After Effects.
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