Ocularist

Did you know that spiders have eight eyes? With that many peepers, their fellow arachnids aren’t likely to notice if one goes missing.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case for humans. Because we only have two eyes, losing even one makes a big difference in our appearance — and, by extension, our self-esteem. Luckily, if you lose an eye, you can go to an Ocularist.

As an Ocularist, you create ocular prostheses — custom artificial eyes — for people who have lost an eye in an accident, or must have one removed due to damage or disease.

Not to be confused with an Optician, Optometrist, or Ophthalmologist, you’re not a Doctor. Instead, you’re more like a Fashion Designer who’s paid to design the most important accessory of your patients’ lives: their eyeball.

The process of creating an ocular prosthesis starts with fitting, which requires you to make a mold of the patient’s eye socket, then create a plastic shell from the mold that you use to create the actual prosthesis, which is made of acrylic. Once you’ve got the acrylic eyeball made, the next step is hand painting the white, iris, and pupil to match those of the patient’s other eye.

Finally, you perform one last fitting to make sure the eye’s shape and color are appropriate. If they aren’t, you make adjustments. If they are, you give the prosthesis to the patient and instruct them on how to care for and maintain it.

Mostly, you’re a Tailor, custom-fitting for your patients an ocular wardrobe. Just as often, however, you’re a pinch-hitting Psychologist: Patients don’t just go to their Ocularist for prostheses; you offer them moral support, too.