How Moriac woman navigates life with prosthetic eye

Robyn McCaskill attended a routine check-up thinking she needed some eye drops. Instead, the Moriac woman was having an eye removed the following month.

Robyn McCaskill. Picture: Alan Barber

Robyn McCaskill attended a routine check-up thinking she needed some eye drops.

Instead, the Moriac woman was having an eye removed the following month.

The 60-year-old, who used reading glasses, had been visiting Specsavers annually for check-ups for about a decade.

Mrs McCaskill, who missed her yearly appointment in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, visited the Waurn Ponds store in November 2021 for her check-up.

She had been experiencing dry eyes and thought she needed better eye drops.

But an optometrist was shocked to see the retina at the back of her left eye was starting to detach.

Mrs McCaskill was taken to Geelong hospital, where a doctor revealed she had a melanoma inside her eyeball.

“That was quite a shock,” Mrs McCaskill said.

Robyn McCaskill. Picture: Alan Barber

“I couldn’t believe I was hearing I had cancer in my eye.”

She had what is known as ocular melanoma — a rare form of cancer.

Mrs McCaskill had more tests and it was confirmed cancer was nowhere else in her body.

She elected to have the eye removed rather than attempt radiotherapy, and had the surgery in December.

Mrs McCaskill tried to remain positive as her adult children and grandkids processed the news.

On the way to the hospital her car was damaged by a truck, adding to her nerves before the operation.

“I was very, very nervous knowing this was going to change my life forever,” she said.

“After the operation there was a lot of bruising — it looked like I’d been in a boxing match.”

Having one eye initially affected her balance but she has adapted since.

After a few months she was also able to drive again.

In February she received a prosthetic eye, made of glass and specially painted to match her real eye.

She cannot see out of it but it is designed to move in time with her right eye.

Mrs McCaskill, who was grateful for the support of medical staff and her loved ones, urged people to stay up to date with eye check-ups.

Research commissioned by Specsavers Australia found about 91 per cent of women admitted to having experienced eye problems.

But about 23 per cent said they didn’t see an optometrist or a healthcare professional for the issue and just waited for it to go away on its own.

Waurn Ponds Specsavers optometrist David Truong said getting your eyes tested regularly was extremely important because many eye conditions were characterised by a lack of symptoms.

“We would especially encourage you to come in if you have noticed changes to your eyes or are dealing with ongoing, irritating problems,” he said.

“We’re lucky here in Australia that eye tests are bulk billed.”

A routine eye test should be scheduled every two years.

Originally published as How Moriac woman navigates life with prosthetic eye