Ricki-Lee Coulter has taken to social media with a cautionary tale, reminding the world of that time she was struck with a rogue champagne cork.
“A year ago today, I was sitting on the edge of the couch opening a bottle of champagne, when my little sister came over to give me a hug. I lent down to hug her, and with my eye just inches from the bottle…it popped! I thought I’d been blind-sided by Mike Tyson!,” the pop star wrote alongside a series of snaps taken around the time of the incident.
“I couldn’t see a thing, everything was black – then when I stopped seeing black everything was blurry and I couldn’t focus on anything. I was terrified I would never see again. The pain was like nothing I have ever felt.”
Going on, she tells: “It was extremely painful to move my eyes, so I had to keep them closed and I was being pushed around in a wheelchair – the eye was also extremely sensitive to light so I had to wear a scarf around my head to keep out any light.”
The Pantene ambassador continues, revealing that after multiple CT scans and “uncomfortable” examinations, doctors were able to conclude bleeding in the chamber of the eye, and bruising to the back of the eyes.
To deal with the pain, Ricki-Lee was put on painkillers, eye drops, and was required to remain in a dark room for 10 days, all the while using her sight as little as possible.
“Couldn’t cook, watch TV, look at my phone…but with all the pain killers I was out for pretty much 20 hours a day!
“If the bleeding didn’t stop I’d have to have surgery and there could have been permanent vision loss,” she recalled.
Ricki-Lee explains how she was lucky to make a full recovery after a month. “It could have been a lot worse…but I’m so thankful for the doctors and nurses who looked after me, and did everything they could to help manage the pain and help me make a full recovery!”
The 31-year-old finishes her tale with a warning: “A lesson to you all…BE CAREFUL when opening champagne bottles, always keep the top covered with your hand! That sh-t is dangerous! Who would have thought something so fun can do so much damage?!”
You heard her, take care come happy hour tonight!
