The Western Bulldogs have moved on from captain Chris Grant's season-ending knee injury but have to come to terms with a new setback with midfielder Shane Birss' eye injury worse than first thought.

Birss will miss up to six games after team doctors discovered the retina in his right eye had been damaged by the ball kicked into his face by Geelong's Ben Graham last Sunday.

The 20-year-old was expected initially to be sidelined for a fortnight after suffering bleeding in his eye, but has since been ordered to rest and wait for four weeks before resuming contact work.

Coach Peter Rohde had to face yet another injury setback two days after tests confirmed Grant would require surgery to mend a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

But Rohde said Birss would not be risked.

"Obviously with those sort of injuries you have to be very cautious," he said.

"There's no threat to his vision but it's going to take a bit longer than we thought to get him back out there, so he looks like missing four to six weeks.

"He's taken it well. Anything to do with the eye you certainly worry about, but I think it was a freak accident so you can't go around worrying about those sort of things."

Rohde and acting captain Scott West took a similar approach to Grant's absence, saying the club had to move on, starting with Sunday's opponent Richmond.

West has captained the Bulldogs just twice in Grant's absence and said earning the position had a hollow ring to it.

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