Woman Mistakes Super Glue for Eye Drops and Ends Up With Stuck Eyelid
Experts say the glue will likely dissipate over time.
— -- A Florida woman said she mistakenly glued her eye shut with super glue, but her doctor was later able to pry it open.
Katherine Gaydos told ABC News affiliate WPBF-TV that she accidentally glued her eye shut after getting debris into her eye last week.
“Something blew into my eye and I screamed for someone else to get eye drops out of my purse and they brought Super Glue,” she told WPBF-TV.
“As soon as I felt it in my eye I felt it burn and I closed my eye and screamed 'Call 911,'” she told WPBF-TV.
The station said that Gaydos went to her doctor, who was able to pry her eye open after applying anesthetic to her eyelids. She will have to come back Friday to get the glue removed, the station said.
“He said I should get my sight back, and not have permanent damage,” Gaydos told WPBF-TV.
While Gaydos’ injury could make almost anyone cringe, experts say people mistake eye drops and Super Glue all too often.
Dr. Pankaj Gupta, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, said he has seen multiple cases where people accidentally glued their eyes shut but that there are simple treatments to help them.
“The first thing I think everyone needs to know is don’t panic,” Gupta told ABC News. The eye cells will slough off and eventually loosen the grip of super glue, he explained.
“There is not a single thing that is permanent that will not slough off on its own,” he added. “In time it will go away.”
Gupta said if someone gets glue in their eye they should see an eye care doctor immediately, but not panic about permanently losing their eye sight.
Gaydos could not be reached for comment.