Girl, 19, thought a tumour behind her eye was reaction to her false eyelashes

March 9, 2018 23:45

A teenager thought she was having an allergic reaction to false eyelash glue – only to learn she had a tumour growing behind her eye.

Megan Barker stumped eye specialists at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, after her left eye started swelling shut in December last year. Why is Crufts called Crufts and how long has it been running? But after nearly 11 hours in the eye department, doctors spotted a benign tumour growing in a sinus – despite her family believing it was a reaction to her false eyelashes.

Megan, 19, who works as a travel agent, said: ‘At the beginning of December my eye started to swell. ‘I love wearing fake eyelashes, and my dad suggested maybe I am allergic to the eyelash glue. Megan first started noticing her eye was dropping in December (Picture: Solent News) ‘I never thought of this so decided after this day I was going to have a break from them and see what happens. ‘By Christmas the swelling was really bad and I was advised to go to the walk-in centre. Shy rescue dog overcomes nerves to appear at Crufts with new owner ‘They checked my sight which was normal and could not see anything wrong.

‘I was referred to Queen Alexandra Hospital and had a series of scans.’ The growth – called an Ossifying Fibroma – was pushing against her eye socket, forcing it shut, and had the potential to damage her eyesight. Megan’s scan revealing the tumour (circled) (Picture: Solent News) Megan added: ‘I was assured it wasn’t cancerous or anything life-threatening but because of the damage it was doing to my eye socket, it had to be removed.’

Surgeons had to cut the 19-year-old’s head open from ear-to-ear in a grueling six-hour operation to remove the mass. Moped muggers caught on CCTV robbing mum of her £25,000 Rolex at knifepoint They cut across the top of her head to get to the sinus, shaved Megan’s hair and stapled her skull back together after the surgery.

Then I was told I had to undergo a serious operation and my hair would be shaved. ‘It sounds weird but for me, everything I loved about my life was being taken away from me. ‘I am not allowed to drive for six months, work for two months and I had a part of my hair shaved, although thankfully the surgeons took away the smallest amount they could.’ Megan has had her staples removed and is now in recovery at home.