A mother in Wales says that her eight-year-old daughter lost sight in one eye after an incident in which she claims another child threw a stone at the girl.
Samantha Bell said doctors told her the stone split Olivia’s left pupil and she will never see out of that eye again.
The incident happened when Olivia, from Llanrumney in Cardiff<_ www.walesonline.co.uk="" all-about="" cardiff="">, was out playing with other children, Bell said.
Bell said police have been unable to take action against the child believed to be involved as they are under ten, which is the age of criminal responsibility.
Samantha Bell, from Llanrumney in Cardiff , said doctors told her the stone split her eight-year-old daughter Olivia’s left pupil and she will never see out of that eye again
The incident happened when Olivia, from Llanrumney in Cardiff , was out playing with other children, and Bell was out of town
But she hopes that by speaking out other parents and children will realise that something as simple as throwing a stone can have serious consequences.
‘She has been a little trooper. She told me not to worry because she has another eye,’ said Bell, 31, who is also mum to Eva, four. ‘She was catching me when I was in bits. She has been a little star.’
Bell said blood poured from Olivia’s eye after the incident and she was taken to A&E at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
‘I was at Bristol Hospital because my partner’s father had a brain aneurysm. I just had a phone call from my mother saying “I’m at A&E, the doctors said you need to get here now”.
Doctors told Olivia and her mother that she will only see a bit of light and shadow with her left eye from now on
Bell said police have been unable to take action against the child believed to be involved as they are under ten, which is the age of criminal responsibility
‘I got there and they told me that the damage is so severe in her eye that they might not be able to fix it. It’s gone straight through her pupil and damaged the back of her eye.’
Following the incident early on Wednesday evening, Olivia was taken for surgery on Thursday morning.
Bell said medics asked her to sign a form in case they had to remove her daughter’s eyeball.
She said: ‘They managed to save the eye, but she is 100 per cent blind in that eye.
She spent three hours in surgery and there were eight or nine doctors in there working to save her eye.’
Bell praised the ‘amazing’ staff at UHW who ‘stitched’ her daughter’s eye back together.
Bell praised the ‘amazing’ staff at UHW who ‘stitched’ her daughter’s eye back together. Despite their best efforts, however, Olivia will never have full vision back in her left eye
But despite their best efforts she said they’ve told her Olivia will only ever be able to see a bit of light and shadow with her left eye.
‘The only time she has cried is when she thought they would have to remove the whole eyeball,’ said Bell. ‘She knows full well she can’t see and she is just like “mummy it’s OK”.
‘Eva has been trying to offer her eye to Olivia. She said, “mummy, I will give Olivia my eye”.’
Bell said Olivia will have to stay home from school for three months while the stitches remain in her patched-up eye.
‘She is constantly having to take pain medication and is suffering from headaches now,’ she said.