$3,000 eye restores visions of Lawton horse show
Animal gets hand-painted prosthetic to look like the real thing

Comments 0

BY ANN KELLEY

Published: October 13, 2008

Brandon La Fuente has made hundreds of prosthetic eyes, including one for his most unusual patient: a one-eyed miniature show horse named KBuck.

Featured Video

The horse was born June 1 at Lil Chums Miniature Horse Farm in Lawton. It lost its eye a few days after birth. Owner Kelsey Chumbley, 12, said she suspects the young horse was the victim of a swift kick from its mother.

"We thought he was going to end up being a backyard pet” instead of a show horse, Kelsey said. "When we found out he had a second chance I was really excited for him.”

KBuck’s prosthetic eye was handcrafted by designers at La Fuente Ocular Prosthetics in Oklahoma City.

The eye was fashioned with a mold of KBuck’s hollow eye socket and constructed with hard acrylic plastic, La Fuente said. It was hand-painted to look exactly like the horse’s real eye, complete with deep blue features and tiny red veins.

La Fuente said KBuck was under the influence of anesthesia when the mold was made but awake when the eye was put in for the first time and during adjustments.

It took a large man to hold the 65-pound horse steady while La Fuente fitted the eye into the horse’s socket. After a few wiggles, adjustments and interruptions from a jolting horse, it was in.

KBuck’s eye cost about $3,000, but his worth will far exceed the investment if his show career takes off. Kelsey Chumbley said there are no rules against showing a horse with a prosthetic eye, and it’s unlikely judges will be able to tell it’s fake.

Veterinarian Jeff Hammond of Marlow tried in June to save the young horse’s eye. When it became evident the surgery didn’t work, Hammond suggested the cosmetic alternative.

Hammond said adjusting to a prosthetic eye shouldn’t be a hardship for the horse because he was so young when he lost it.

"Having one eye hasn’t affected him a bit — he’s a spitfire,” Hammond said.

Related Topics: Science and Technology, Technology, Medical Technology, Medical Devices