Mum warns of perils of meth addiction after daughter gouged own eyes out while high on drugs
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: A mother has shared the harrowing story about her daughter becoming permanently blind after gouging her own eyes out in a drug-induced hallucination, to warn others of the dangers of drug addiction.
Her 20-year-old daughter Kaylee Muthart is recovering but will never see again after a meth haze pushed her to gouge out both of her eyes with her own hands on February 6, as terrified neighbours tried to stop her.
Katy Tompkins of Anderson, South Carolina, in the US, said doctors believe Ms Muthart used meth laced with another chemical that day, which caused her to have hallucinations that the world was “upside down”.
In the young woman’s drug-induced state, she fought off help from locals who tried to intervene. It took a whole team of officers to control her and she was flown to the trauma unit at Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Doctors were able to treat her injuries and prevent infection, but nothing could be done to restore her sight - she was completely blind.
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Her mother said the family tried to convince her to get help in the days before the episode, and Ms Kaylee Muthart promised she would go to rehab the following week, but it was too late.
“That was a struggle, I can’t even explain that feeling when I found out, it was horrifying. Complete terror,” Ms Tompkins told People.
“This is something you never think is going to happen to you, but it did.”
Her daughter became hooked on meth about six months before the gruesome incident, after unknowingly smoking meth-laced marijuana, her mum said.
Doctors recommended she receive prosthetic eyes to retain her facial structure and prevent bacteria entering her sockets.
Once Ms Muthart is released form hospital, she will need to move back in with her mother and will require a seeing-eye dog to help her adjust.
“She’s getting all different kinds of treatment, but she’s going to have to relearn everything. It’s like she’s almost starting life over again,” her mother told.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise funds for her care, which has since raised more than $8,000.
Despite the tragedy, Ms Thompkins said her daughter has found a light in the darkness and wants to share her story in the hopes others might be deterred from taking drugs.
“I’m thankful. It’s a horrible thing, but I’m still thankful because God spared her life.”
