Eyes by Hand: Prosthetics of Art and Healing

by Dan Roche

A personal and intimate view of the craft of eye-making.

This is a book about artificial eyes—about the artisans and artists who make them, and about the life-changing and sometimes life-saving experience of wearing them—as author Dan Roche has done for 15 years. Eye-making is done by hand, for one person at a time, by a very small number of ocularists (fewer than 200 in the U.S.), a slow, intricate, and unusually intimate process of molding, fitting, and painting that brings ocularist and patient together for many hours, sometimes days.

In Eyes by Hand, Roche describes the craft that goes into the making of an eye that looks uncannily real, as well as the psychological and emotional healing that such service brings to someone who has suffered the very visible trauma of eye loss—a loss that can go to the heart of self-identity.

In an engaging, frankly fascinating fashion, Roche captures the intricacies of a profession whose techniques and culture have been remarkably consistent for 200 years. He explores, too, how that profession may now be facing a digital transformation, in the form of scan-print-mail possibilities. Such a change might make prosthetic eyes more easily and cheaply available, though it may also risk the aesthetic qualities and intimate connection fundamental to the process of healing.

198 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Dan Roche is the author of Love’s Labors: A Story of Marriage and Divorce and Great Expectation: A Father’s Diary. He has been awarded a fellowship in nonfiction literature by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and teaches nonfiction writing, journalism, and literature at Le Moyne College, in Syracuse, NY.

Eyes by Hand: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Dan Roche profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Dan Roche bio, MIT Press: https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/dan-r...

Reviews

[Theresa Radley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever read a book at the exact moment that you need it most? Well, that was how it was for me with “Eyes by Hand,” written by Dan Roche. As someone who has a prosthetic eye, I needed this book. I had never met anyone or talked to anyone who had a prosthetic eye, so reading stories about so many others felt comforting, but emotionally challenging.

Dan’s chapter structure guided readers through the process of losing an eye to getting the prosthetic. In each chapter, he weaved in history, his own story, and a testimonial from either an eyewear wearer or an Ocularist. I told myself I’d reach a chapter or two at a time because, as I said, this brought up a lot of emotions for me. However, I couldn’t put it down. I was so intrigued, but mostly I needed that belonging.

I’d recommend this book to anyone with a prosthetic eye or who knows someone who does.

I am truly grateful for all the time and research Dan put into creating this treasure. He didn’t just tell a story or provide history; he made me feel seen, valued, and a part of a community I didn’t know existed.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an ocularist in training this book was informative and very well-written while also being an interesting read!