A young mother left hospitalised after she was hit in the eye by a toy bullet from a Nerf gun has warned other families to be careful using the popular Christmas gift.
The Australian woman, who goes by manon_el on TikTok, shared the warning video to the social media platform this week explaining her retina is close to detaching after the shock accident, which could leave her with permanent damage.
‘Just a PSA, if you get gifted a Nerf gun this year do not shoot anyone in the face,’ the woman pleaded.
‘Yesterday my sister shot me in the eye and it blinded me instantly. Obviously it was an accident but it got me in the left eye and it really hurt.’
An Australian mother (pictured) has warned others on TikTok to be careful with Nerf guns after she was hit in the eye over Christmas leaving her with significant damage
The popular Nerf brand, owned by Hasbro and valued at more than $460million, sells toys that can shoot either foam darts or small gel pellets depending on the model
Nerf guns, which are made by the American toy conglomerate Hasbro, are plastic guns similar to water pistols but which shoot different pellets depending on the model.
These projectiles include foam darts, of which there are about 24 different types, and gel ‘blasters’ which are small balls made of water absorbing polymer.
‘When I opened my eye after getting hit everything was black. Then I went to the hospital and everything was white,’ the woman explained.
‘I couldn’t see anything, I was fully blinded. They did some tests and eventually my vision came back but it was all blurry and cloudy.’
The woman has since been discharged from hospital and returned home.
‘There is a lot of damage in my eye and I’m not off the hook yet, I’m on strict bed rest because the retina is most likely going to detach if I move around too much.’
‘So it needs to not do that cause I don’t want to be blinded permanently.’
She added she is now on steroid drops to prevent her pupil from turning ‘cat eye’ and she will be assessed by doctors on whether surgery is required.
According to the Mayo Clinic this type of surgery involves repairing any tears to the retina using lasers or freezing treatment and then using a temporary gas bubble to apply pressure inside the eye that pushes the retina to reattach.
If done within a few days of the injury, vision can be fully restored.
The woman shared an update on Tuesday saying her vision has returned and she had been back to the hospital where doctors said the injury is healing well.
But she added doctors said her pupil could be permanently left in an oval shape.
The woman explained how she went to hospital after she was hit by the toy projectile in the eye and showed how one pupil is significantly larger than the other
Commenters on her video said it was a good warning and they would show their children.
‘My kids got Nerfs this year.. I’m going to show them this because they just won’t listen and I’m thinking of taking them back,’ one mother said.
‘Got kicked in the face by my horse and my eye did the same thing, blindness, double vision and my pupil ended up going back to normal after a month,’ another said.
‘You’re handling the situation incredibly well, I’m so sorry that happened, hope you heal fast and that the damage will not permanent,’ added a third.
It is not the first occasion there has been an injury from Nerf guns, with the gel blasters of particular concern.
Between December 2018 and May 2019 eight children from Queensland presented at hospitals with eye injuries from the toys.
Airsoft guns (pictured), which shoot harder pellets than gel blasters, are banned in Australia
Many Australian states have recently ruled the gel blaster version of the Nerf guns must be registered as a firearm and holders must obtain a valid firearm license.
Paintball guns commonly used in Australia are subject to similar rules.
Queensland is the only state where a license is not needed for the gel blasters but they are required to be kept in a locked container.
Airsoft guns, which look less like toys and shoot harder pellets with more force than gel blasters or paintball markers, are banned in Australia.
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