I Was Scared I Would Go Blind – Lady Shares Experience After Eyelash Extension Procedure Nearly Cost Her Sight

A South African woman, Refilwe Motiang has bravely shared her harrowing experience after a beauty treatment left her on the brink of losing her eyesight. She reported that a recent eyelash extension procedure resulted in significant damage to her cornea.

Motiang recounted that the incident occurred last Thursday when she visited a local salon in preparation for a trip to the North West. During the eyelash extension application, she immediately felt a burning and intense sensation in her eyes, signaling that something was gravely wrong.
She said: “My eyes were burning.

“I started feeling cold and shivering, then I asked to go outside. Next thing I was struggling to open my eyes. My eyes were tearing up and I was struggling to lift up my eyelids. That’s when I realised something was bad.”

Despite her complaints to the technician, she was reportedly assured that the pain was “normal.” However, feeling increasingly uneasy, Motiang was then rushed to a Netcare hospital, where doctors definitively diagnosed her with corneal damage.

When her cornea was damaged, she tragically stated that she could not see and could only hear people talking.

She added: “I was really scared. I couldn’t see, I could only hear people talking to me.

“I kept wondering, what does this mean? Does it mean they’re going to take out my eyes? I was worried, but I tried not to show it.

How it affected her mentally and emotionally she said: “I felt alone and sad, thinking, all this just because I wanted to look pretty?”

“Even mentally I was not OK — but I was hopeful that I would be fine.”

“My children were worried. I regret it because of the way it affected my family. The hospital bills were also expensive.

Advising others to exercise caution, She said: “If the smell of the glue is too strong, then the glue is not for sensitive eyes,”

If the burning sensation is too much, it’s not normal. The glue shouldn’t burn to a point where you get extremely red eyes or can’t blink properly.”