A woman loses her eye in a horrific accident while walking her dog

A Florida woman lost her eye in a horrific accident while walking her large dog last year.

Daniella Abreu, a 24-year-old medical assistant, was preparing to take her 60-pound husky, Blu, for a walk on August 7, 2023, when she noticed that the rope leash she normally uses was too frayed and decided to do so her to grab an old retractable leash instead.

As Blu was walking through her Stuart neighborhood that night, she saw a rabbit and pounced on it, People reports.

Abreu grabbed the leash tightly and pulled it back to keep Blu under control when the leash snapped and hit her in her right eye, leaving her bloody and blind.

“As he was walking in one direction and I was pulling in the opposite direction, the friction just caused the leash to snap back and hit me right in the eye,” she said.

“It happened so quickly, but I knew straight away it was bad.” “The force of the leash was so traumatic.”

“There was so much blood,” Abreu continued. “I thought I had completely lost my eye, so my fight-or-flight mode kicked in and I was able to run home.” I ran inside screaming.

“My mother came to me first and I just fell into her arms and turned all pale.” My father, oh my God, his face was so scared and frightened.

“While it may not have been a matter of life or death in that moment, I obviously didn’t know,” she said. “However, I knew it was a pretty serious situation. I lost a lot of blood and eventually passed out.

“The whole shock that went through my body just overwhelmed the feeling,” Abreu said.

Her parents then called an ambulance and she was taken to a Level 1 trauma center in Fort Pierce an hour away due to the severity of her injuries.

There she was told she had suffered a fracture under her eye, a detached retina and a split eyelid.

She said her face looked “collapsed” and the bones around her eyes were severely traumatized.

Due to the severity of her injuries, Abreu was taken to a Level 1 trauma center in Fort Pierce, where she learned she had a fracture under her eye, a retinal detachment and a split eyelid

After Abreu was x-rayed, doctors stitched her eyelid back together.

Around the same time, the adrenaline levels subsided and the pain began.

“The pain was a 10 out of 10,” she said. “I started crying hysterically because it was so bad.”

Abreu was then told she needed emergency surgery, which would require a transfer to another hospital, this time to Miami.

At that point, the medical assistant said she was “prepared for the worst.”

When she woke up after surgery, Abreu learned she was permanently blind in her right eye and there was no way to save her vision.

She will also need more surgeries over the next year to allow the rest of her face to heal, she told People.

“To this day I still don’t believe it’s true,” she said.

“I had to put my whole life on hold.

Doctors stitched her eyelid back together and she learned she was permanently blind in her right eye

“I went from being just a super active girl — on a competitive dance team, training on the side, working a full-time job — to basically having to take a year off.”

In the end, Abreu underwent four surgeries and doctors confirmed that the damage to her right eye was so severe that it had to be removed.

Months later, Abreau said she was bedridden and often slept, not only to give her time to heal but also to mourn her former life.

She said she struggled with the side effects of the accident, including severe migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and panic attacks.

Eventually, Abreu began seeing a therapist.

“I basically had to relearn everything,” she said.

“When you have both eyes, you’re used to opening them at the same time.” But my right eye was sewn shut, so I had to gradually learn to open only my left eye, which was tiring and caused me even more pain. “

“I went from being just a super active girl — on a competitive dance team, training on the side, working a full-time job — to basically having to take a year off.”

Abreu had her most recent surgery in June to be fitted with a prosthetic eye – which she received in August.

Now it needs to be replaced every three to five years.

Abreu said she was happy to feel more like herself, but said she was still “unsure about a lot of things.”

“I don’t like the movement of my prosthesis, the range of motion is very limited,” she told People. “I still wear sunglasses everywhere because I’m so embarrassed by the way they look.”

She continues to struggle with dizziness and distance vision, but is slowly regaining some of her confidence as she adjusts to her new norm and shares her progress on TikTok.

She uses her platform, where she has more than 125,700 followers, to connect with others who have similar injuries and to warn others about the dangers of retractable leashes.

Abreu was fitted with a prosthetic eye in June and received it in August

“A lot of people reached out to me and I realized that there is a whole community of people who have an eye, and not even because of freak accidents, but for various other reasons,” Abreu said.

“It also made me feel good to talk about it and raise awareness about it.”

In a July 14 video, Abreu shared that people keep asking her if she resents Blu for what happened.

“Not resentful at all,” she said. “Our bond is stronger than ever. “He has helped me through my difficulties over the past year.”

Abreu remains hopeful for her recovery and is grateful to share her story

Then on August 7, she shared a video showing her progress over the course of a year.

“Today is a year my life changed forever,” Abreu wrote in the caption.

“I still think about how I went from being able to see with both eyes to having one eye and being blind in one eye in a single second.”

She went on to say that she continues to “mourn the loss of my old self.”

“I miss the synchronized movements of my eyes, I miss not having to wear sunglasses everywhere just to feel safe, and so much more.”

Nevertheless, Abreu remained confident.

“As one chapter closes, another beautiful one opens,” she wrote. “I know I have so many great things to look forward to in the future.”

“My God has sustained me through everything…even though my faith was tested, my love for God remained strong and I know that is why I can be so confident in who I am now, despite everything that has happened. “

“I’m grateful to be able to share my story on a platform like this, where for the most part everyone has been so kind,” Abreu concluded.

“Cheers to more life, more blessings and more opportunities.”