Rhianna Benson
A 22-year-old woman feared she'd never be able to see again after she went temporarily blind following a lash extension appointment.
Receptionist Lillie Barrett had undergone the beauty procedure - whereby an individual lash extension is placed atop a real lash to create a voluminous affect - countless times prior to the traumatic incident.
Naturally, therefore, she had no idea that her vision would almost be eradicated after she made one fatal mistake prior to her visit to the beautician.
The South East Londoner recalls that nothing seemed out of the ordinary when she handed £55 over to her regular lash artist in return for a plush set of Russian lashes back in 2022.
Advert
Thinking nothing of it at the time, however, she had attended the appointment wearing a set of contact lenses.
Six hours after having her lavish new lashes fitted, Lillie began experiencing an itching sensation in her left eye.
After visiting her local pharmacy, the youngster was prescribed some eyedrops aimed at treating pink eye.
Over the next two days, Lillie's eye not only began watering profusely, but they began to swell at an alarming rate.
"I thought it was just my allergies playing up or I had contracted conjunctivitis," she later told press.
Yellow goop also began to build up in her cornea, which tragically resulted in Lillie losing her entire vision in her left eye.
Concerned she'd never be able to see again, Lillie's family then rushed her to the emergency department in Sutton's St Helier Hospital, where, following an assessment, she was quickly diagnosed with an ulcer on her cornea.
By this point, her cornea had become so badly infected that it actually changed colour - from clear to a cloudy grey.
For those unfamiliar with Lillie's condition, a corneal ulcer can be caused by bacterial infections, viral infections, eye injuries or dry eye syndrome.
Contact lens wearers are said to have an increased risk of contracting the infection if they don't follow a strict routine for hygiene and wear.
Recalling her terrifying diagnosis, she continued: "They couldn't tell me the exact reason it happened.
"Someone in the eye department said to me I wasn't going to get my vision back unless I went through with surgery. I broke into tears as I was so shocked at what had happened."
Lillie now believes, however, that her infection was caused by contact behind made between her lenses and harmful bacteria at some point during her lash appointment.
She said: "I do think it was caused by my contacts. If I was to give anyone some advice it would be to just be careful when wearing contacts and definitely go to the hospital sooner as I left it for two or three days before doing so."
Following her ordeal, Lillie was prescribed another batch of eyedrops as well as pain relief, and was forced to attend regular check-ups for a further seven months.
She's never fully regained her vision to its original extent.
She said: "I can now see a lot more than I could but my vision is still bad.
"I can see shadows and people when they're in front of me but that is only if I close one eye. If both eyes are open it makes it harder to see."
After having turned down the initial offer for surgery - having read horror stories online about the risks involved - Lillie now says she's open to the idea.
"Now I've seen people's comments on TikTok about how the surgery worked really well for them, I think I would consider getting it done to regain some more of my vision."