A young woman has narrowly escaped permanent vision loss after she tore off the top layer of her eyeball removing her contact lenses.
Meabh McHugh-Hill told The Mirror she panicked when she realised she had left her lenses in for ten hours.
The sudden removal was said to have ripped off part of her cornea – the transparent layer on the top of her eye – leaving the 23-year-old in sheer agony.
McHugh-Hill, from Liverpool in England, said she hadn’t moistened the lenses before she attempted the removal.
“I ran upstairs to take them out and stupidly, in a rush, I just pinched my eye first like I normally would do to get the contact out,” she said.
“But I should have moistened them first – because this time my eye was so dry the contact had actually glued itself to my eyeball.”
Contacts are generally recommended to only be left in for a maximum of eight hours.
The 23-year-old didn't seek medical attention until the next day when she woke up unable to open her left eye.
McHugh-Hill was rushed to the hospital where she learned of the severity of the damage and how lucky she was to not have caused further issues.
The Liverpool resident was told she would never be able to wear contact lenses again or receive laser eye surgery.
The young woman said the incident has left her with a true understanding of the risks involved with wearing contact lenses.
"My vision is okay now but my eye is still very sensitive," she said.
"I was so, so lucky. I could have lost my sight. I just didn’t realise how dangerous wearing contact lenses could be if your eyes are not moistened."
