Double Take -- by Mark Sproxton

Like a finishing carpenter, James Willis uses his hands constantly, shaping and forming his product to perfection. Like an artist, he must also carefully match colour and brilliance and texture. And like a social worker, sometimes he must lend a sympathetic ear.

Willis is an ocularist, one of about 300 board certified eye prosthetic (artificial eye) makers in the world. "Because there are so few of us, the only place we can go to get training is in the States," he said. "It's an apprenticeship (with) the academic portion in the States. We go there a week at a time." The American Society of Ocularists certifies ocularists throughout the world.

Using hard plastic to make the artificial eyes, Willis must ensure the prosthetic fits the eye socket perfectly, the colour of the iris matches the person's other eye exactly and that the eye has the same shading and shine as the other eye. Pastels, embroidery thread and different kinds of chemical coatings are all use in building each ocular prosthetic. Artificial eyes last on average five years.

While the work is very hands-on, it can involve people struggling emotionally. "Sometimes it's not even the loss of the eye, sometimes it's life struggles and the eye is the cap on the end of the problems," Willis said. "You listen to people, let them talk."

Those hard times can't take away from the returns of the work, however. "I like being able to help people," Willis says. "You get to literally make a difference in people's lives and you get to see the results of your work at the end of the day."

The Edmonton-based ocularist (there is also one based in Calgary) has long had an interest in eyes, going back 27 years in all. "I had just got a job at an (opticians) and was being trained to fit contact lenses when they started doing the artificial eyes," he explained. "I found that more intriguing."

After completing a five-year apprenticeship, Willis has carried on doing the work he loves. As the owner of LeGrand Northwest Ocularists he has much advice for anyone considering this career path: "It's a difficult profession to get into. You have to know the ocularist to get in. In the last 18 years I've hired only four people and two are still with me."