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Woman Who Made Big Mistake While Trying to Use Eye Drops Rushed to Hospital: ‘I Started Screaming’ (Exclusive)
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Woman Who Made Big Mistake While Trying to Use Eye Drops Rushed to Hospital: ‘I Started Screaming’ (Exclusive)

Brianne Shipley used TikTok to warn others about the importance of organizing medical products well

Brianne Shipley/TikTok Brianne Shipley after getting nail glue in her eyeBrianne Shipley/TikTok Brianne Shipley after getting nail glue in her eye

Brianne Shipley/TikTok

Brianne Shipley after getting nail glue in her eye

  • A Florida woman mixed medicated eye drops with a bottle of nail glue

  • Brianne Shipley shared her story on TikTok along with a video of how doctors helped her clear the product from her eye

  • Shipley now explains the importance of keeping medical products organized

It went viral on TikTok after a woman shared that she accidentally applied nail glue to her eyes instead of medicated eye drops. This led to a visit to the hospital and a warning to others about the importance of keeping medical supplies organized.

Brianne Shipley was half-asleep on Oct. 31 when her Amazon Alexa device notified her. It’s time to apply the eye drops.

Shipley, who lives in central Florida, had recently been prescribed drops for a bacterial infection. As a first-time user of eye drops, they weren’t part of her normal routine; but every few hours she kept them on her bedside table so she could apply them as directed.

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Courtesy of Brianne Shipley Brianne ShipleyCourtesy of Brianne Shipley Brianne Shipley

Courtesy of Brianne Shipley

Brianne Shipley

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“After I received the notification, I blindly reached out, grabbed the bottle, opened my eye with one hand, and put the drops in,” she told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.

He continues: “As the drop fell, I realized the plastic bottle had the wrong consistency. The moment it hit my eye, I started screaming.”

That’s when Shipley realized she was reaching for nail glue (a sticky product she kept around the house for arts and crafts projects) instead of eye drops.

Her 17-year-old son, Shipley, said to his phone, “Siri, call 911!” He woke up in the neighbor’s bedroom while screaming.

“The first 10 minutes were a huge panic; I didn’t know what was going to happen,” he says.

His son did a quick Google search and told Shipley to wash him down with as much water as he could. He tried to remove as much of the product as possible using the sink and then the shower before heading to the nearest hospital.

“Rinsing with water provided some relief and freed the eye; it had originally been glued shut,” he says, adding that doctors later told him that the first step taken at home was “very important” to prevent further damage. It’s not over.

Courtesy of Brianne Shipley Brianne Shipley's eye drops and nail glueCourtesy of Brianne Shipley Brianne Shipley's eye drops and nail glue

Courtesy of Brianne Shipley

Brianne Shipley’s eye drops and nail glue

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“Going to the hospital was the worst pain; it just burned, burned, felt like I had a rock in my eye,” he says.

When they arrived at the hospital, doctors immediately brought Shipley to the exam room, where he said he could see, but his vision was “blurry” and looking at any light caused a burning sensation.

“The doctors and nurses were very helpful and immediately numbed me with eye drops,” she says. “Then they looked for rips and abrasions and used Q-tips to remove bits of hardened glue.”

Doctors then used a Morgan Lens, a plastic, sterile device that aids drainage.

“The acid in the nail glue had changed the pH level of my eye, so they had to remove all of that,” Shipley says. “This wash took 30 to 45 minutes.”

After that, hospital staff sent Shipley home with a medicated ointment to help his eye continue healing.

“I was very embarrassed when I came to the hospital, but the doctor told me this: this happens too much More more than you think,” he tells PEOPLE.

He adds that he made his story on TikTok public He hoped he could warn others that it’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to smaller bottles of medical products, such as eye drops.

“I knew there would be embarrassment and stupid comments, but it was more about letting people know: keep these things separate,” she says. “This was my first time using eye drops, so I didn’t think about it, but now I keep all my medications separate.”