Losing an eye is a traumatic experience and for many, the process of being fitted with an artificial eye is an important part of the healing process. But the ABC has spoken to a number of people who've had a disappointing experience with one operator who makes prosthetic eyes, Jack McDonald. It's led to questions over whether there needs to be better regulation of the industry.
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00:00Jenny Miller needed to have one of her eyes removed to stop cancer on her retina spreading
00:09to the rest of her body.
00:10Can I tell you how awful it was?
00:13It was terrible.
00:15Jenny was hopeful having an artificial eye made would be the start of her recovery.
00:20She made an appointment with ocularist Jack McDonald, who operates out of a number of
00:25offices around the country, including Hobart, making prosthetic eyes, fingers, ears and
00:31noses.
00:32She paid $2,800 up front for her eye.
00:37When she went for a fitting months later, it was too big, bulgy and uncomfortable.
00:42So that was when you were indicating that it was pretty sore.
00:46Jenny says Jack McDonald made attempts to adjust the eye, but it remained unsatisfactory and
00:51she lost faith in the process.
00:53I normally just power through and try and see the light at the end of the tunnel, but
00:59perhaps it's come at the end of a long journey and it's just not fair.
01:05Jamie Beverley says he had a disappointing experience with Jack McDonald.
01:09They just didn't look right.
01:11They were either too small, not aesthetically looking, the iris was in the wrong spot, you
01:16either look like you're cross-eyed or you're looking at the ground.
01:20It just was not professional the way it should be.
01:24Peter Knowles is the President of the Ocularis Association of Australia.
01:29He's received nine formal complaints about Mr McDonald, many shared common themes.
01:36Promises being made and not delivered on, and then goods being provided, or artificial
01:41eye in this case being provided, which is not fit for purpose.
01:45It's either unsightly, uncomfortable, at times painful.
01:50There's no government regulation covering ocularis in Australia.
01:54Mr Knowles says it's not been a problem until recently.
01:57Regulation.
01:58You know, will it happen, maybe?
02:01Would it help?
02:02Possibly.
02:03But our association does, without obviously being a regulatory body, we do provide a service
02:09to each other of both education, support and review.
02:15Jack McDonald is not a member of the Ocularis Association of Australia and he is not required
02:21to be.
02:22He has not answered the ABC's request for a response to concerns about his work.