A Scots couple say they are 'devastated' after their young daughter was blinded in one eye - by her scooter. Coral Allan, four, was wheeling along to nursery alongside her mother Amanda Allan, 39, last month when she crashed and jabbed the handlebars into her left eye.
Her injuries didn't seem severe at first, as there was no blood and she wasn't experiencing any pain as a result.
But Coral's eye looked swollen, so Amanda decided to take her home and see how her injury developed.
As the day went on, Coral started complaining that something was stuck in her eye and her vision had become blurry. The next morning, the tot claimed she couldn't see out of it at all - and Amanda and dad Ryan, 29, rushed her to her local opticians.
There they were told Coral's injury was extremely serious and they should drive straight to hospital to see a specialist.
Amanda, a hairdresser from Stevenston, Ayrshire, said: "The situation has developed so quickly, from the accident to where we are now. When Coral fell she seemed a bit shaken and her eye looked slightly sore but she reassured me she wasn't in any pain.
"Throughout the day I kept asking her if she could see okay and at first she said she could. It wasn't until later her vision started to blur, and in the morning when she woke up, she couldn't see at all. Hearing the concern in the optician's voice is every mum's worst nightmare - it was so worrying."
On their arrival at the hospital, Amanda was informed that her daughter would need emergency surgery to stitch together multiple lacerations on her eyeball. Coral was transferred to Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children where she was then operated on the same afternoon.
Despite the severity of her injury, the youngster is still not in any pain, and post surgery signs are looking promising.
But, Coral's vision is still hugely impaired, and she will have to have another operation in the next few weeks after doctors have monitored her progress.
Mum-of-three Amanda, said: "The eye specialists operated on Coral and now she is wearing a huge glass contact lens to protect the stiches. They've told us they're going to do the best they can to get her vision fully back, but she'll likely need several operations in the future.
"And, it's unlikely that we'll see the results of her recent operations for six to eight months because her wounds need time to heal. We're still trying to get our heads around how this has happened. We haven't slept for a week worrying about the long-lasting effects this could have on our daughter."
Doctors have laid out a worst-case scenario for Coral which would see her blind in one eye for the rest of her life.
And Amanda is now keen to raise awareness of the risks everyday activities can pose and to promote the wider use of eye protection amongst children
"This situation has made us see the dangers that surround our children on a daily basis," she said. "We want to raise awareness for this kind of incident so other parents don't have to suffer what we're now going through.
"We have learnt our lesson, and in the future, my kids will be wearing goggles when doing activities that pose a risk to their optic health. I'm praying Coral will turn a corner soon and that this accident won't hang over her for the rest of her life - but we'll just have to wait and see."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
READ NEXT:
- Glasgow homeless hotel ordered to clean up their act after Record exposed filthy conditions
- Ex-girlfriend of 'jet-ski Romeo' dodges jail after kicking policeman in the head
- Scots mum who spent £250 on kid’s birthday party fuming after getting six plates of nibbles for 28 guests
- Scots mum saves toddler from drowning in pond at Glasgow park
- Scots couple's dream cruise for 25th wedding anniversary ruined after suitcases lost
