Aussie mother shares urgent warning after popular Christmas gift left her in hospital: ‘I was fully blinded’

A young mother who was hospitalized after being hit in the eye by a toy Nerf gun bullet has warned other families to be careful with the popular Christmas gift.

The Australian woman passing by manon_el on TikTok shared the warning video on the social media platform this week explaining that her retina is close to detaching after the impact accident, which could leave her with permanent damage.

Optometrists recommend that safety glasses are worn when playing with the toy, that they should never be pointed at the head and that only original brand projectiles are used.

“Just a PSA, if you get a Nerf gun as a gift this year, don't shoot anyone in the face,” the woman pleaded on TikTok.

'Yesterday my sister shot me in the eye, blinding me instantly. It was obviously an accident, but I hit my left eye and it really hurt.”

The popular brand Nerf, owned by Hasbro and valued at more than $460 million, sells toys that can shoot foam darts or small gel pellets, depending on the model.

Nerf guns, made by American toy conglomerate Hasbro, are plastic guns that resemble water guns but 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 being hit, everything was black. Then I went to the hospital and everything was white,” the woman explained.

'I couldn't see anything, I was completely blinded. They did some tests and eventually my vision came back, but it was all blurry and cloudy.”

The woman has now been released from hospital and returned home.

'There's a lot of damage to my eye and I'm not off the hook yet. I am on strict bed rest because the retina is most likely to detach if I move too much.'

“That shouldn't happen, because I don't want to be permanently blinded.”

She added that she is now taking steroid drops to prevent her pupil from becoming 'cat's eye' and will be assessed by doctors whether surgery is required.

According to the Mayo Clinic, this type of surgery involves repairing any tears in the retina using lasers or an freezing treatment and then using a temporary gas bubble to apply pressure in the eye that pushes the retina to reattach.

If this is done within a few days of the injury, vision can be fully restored.

The woman shared an update on Tuesday saying her vision had returned and she had been back to the hospital, where doctors said the injury is healing well.

But she added that doctors said her pupil could remain in an oval shape permanently.

The woman explained how she went to the hospital after being hit in the eye by the toy projectile, showing how one pupil is significantly larger than the other

Commenters on her video said it was a good warning and that they would show it to 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 about taking them back,” one mother said.

“I got kicked in the face by my horse and my eye did the same thing, blindness, double vision and my pupil went back to normal after a month,” said another.

'You are handling the situation incredibly well. “I'm so sorry this happened, I hope you heal quickly and the damage won't be permanent,” a third added.

This is not the first time that injuries have occurred from Nerf weapons, with gel blasters in particular causing concern.

Between December 2018 and May 2019, eight Queensland children presented to 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 stipulated that the gel blaster version of the Nerf guns must be registered as a firearm and holders must have a valid firearms licence.

Similar rules apply to paintball guns commonly used in Australia.

Queensland is the only state that does not require a permit for the gel blasters, but they must be kept in a sealed container.

Airsoft guns, which look less like a toy and shoot harder pellets with more force than gel blasters or paintball markers, are banned in Australia.