Eye collection looks to sell for arm and a leg

Stewart Neill says he has a vintage glass eye, like those in the collection, tucked away at home. Photo / ODT

By Margot Taylor

Eyes of the glass and real variety will be fixed on an unusual sight at a Dunedin auction.

A quirky collection of glass eyes and vintage ophthalmology equipment, including a refraction unit and large eye chart, will go under the hammer tomorrow.

Hayward's Auction House owner Bridgette More said the equipment was from the personal collections of two retired University of Otago Medical School ophthalmologists.

Many people had their eyes on the unusual items, she said.

"One of our regulars said 'my dog hurt his eye recently, he needs one of these'."

Auction house regular Stewart Neill said he collected uranium glass and smoking memorabilia, but he also had a spare eye at home.

"When we cleared out my grandmother's estate she had a glass eye and I thought I'll keep that," he laughed.