Loose Women star Katie Piper has been forced to ask 'Please don't troll me' as she revealed she had surgery in a bid to save one of her eyes. The presenter told how she underwent a procedure to reduce the risk of 'losing her left eye' in a candid social media post.
Katie took to Instagram on Wednesday (November 22) with a number of images showing her eye after the procedure as she appeared in hospital in a hospital gown, while admitting she still finds operations 'mentally hard' following her acid attack ordeal.
The 40-year-old suffered major injuries and blindness in one eye after she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch and accomplice Stefan Sylvestre in 2008. Following the horrifying ordeal, Katie has tirelessly campaigned for changes to protect the public and has since set up The Katie Piper Foundation.
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But as part of Katie's ongoing recovery, she sometimes has to undergo surgeries and procedures as a result of the injuries inflicted in the attack. "This is me! (For now)," Katie started to write alongside the images which showed her unable to open the eye that had been operated on.
The mum-of-two continued: "On Tuesday I had a planned operation, a Tarsorrhaphy to my left eye. Tarsorrhaphy is the joining of part or all of the upper and lower eyelids so as to partially or completely close the eye. Temporary tarsorrhaphies are used to help the cornea heal or to protect the cornea during a short period of exposure or disease. I’ve also had scar tissue operated on on my right eye, so that will also be slightly swollen.
"I wanted to put this here for a few reasons: Firstly to educate that living with the kind of injuries I have means things will change through out your life and sometimes things go backwards. There isn’t really an end point and part of this kind of recovery is acceptance of that.
"Secondly with a disfigurement surgical decisions have to be based around function not aesthetics. In my case I am trying to preserve the eye, avoid perforation and loosing my eye completely. Also just because something is on view permanently it doesn’t give people the right to constantly comment on your appearance- you never know what’s going on in someone’s life.
"Also, if this helps anyone else…. yes I do sometimes find it hard. I’m ok with looking different to everyone else but operations can sometimes take me back to memories of how this all started and that’s hard mentally. I always think I’m incredibly lucky with this space here on IG. I feel like I have an intelligent, interesting and kind following.
"So I know most of you will find this update useful and probably have had your own similar journeys of medical or mental health recoveries, but for the few that will send msgs or leave negative comments (I’ve heard them all before, nothing new) then this explanation/ education is for you."
It is then that she added: "’m still the same person. I’ve just had different path in life to most and that’s ok. For most part I live a fulfilling, privileged and very happy life. For that I’m extremely grateful for. But as I recover I’m asking that you please don’t troll me.
Thank you to my eye surgeon Mr Joshi for taking care of my eyelids all these years. I’m so grateful to him and his team for care, compassion and skill."
