EFE SODJE has decided against having surgery on his fractured eye socket and will instead wear a protective mask.

With the possibility that the Gills centre-back could lose sight in his eye during an operation, the 35-year-old felt the risk was just too much.

He said: “There were some definite benefits about having the operation but there were also some dangers that I couldn’t agree with.

“There’s an artery that lies around the fracture that, if accidentally cut, could leave me blind. There was only a one per cent chance of that happening but it’s a chance I can’t take.”

Sodje picked up the injury during last month’s game at Yeovil when he clashed heads with home striker Lloyd Owusu.

A mould of Sodje’s face has been taken and then a mask can be made. The defender will still need to be rested and it is unlikely he will feature again until the new year.