Katie Piper gives health update after surgery to 'avoid losing her eye'

05 December 2023 , 20:04

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Katie Piper updates fans on health after infection from surgery to 'avoid losing her eye'

TV presenter and Loose Women star Katie Piper has shared a health update to concerned fans after surgery to help save her left eye.

The presenter gave an update as she headed back after a visit to the eye clinic that seemed to leave the TV personality emotional as she explained that her surgery recovery wasn't going as smoothly as she hoped. Speaking in an honest video on Instagram, mum of two Katie told followers: "I've spent the morning back at the eye clinic as I've got problems with my eye. I've got a defect and an infection that is becoming really hard to treat."

Katie Piper gave fans an update after her recent eye surgery

Katie Piper told fans she has 'a defect and an infection' making recovery harder

Katie then took the opportunity to thank her husband for his support, as she turned the camera to look at husband Richard James Sutton driving the car. Katie continued: "I have to give a shout out to my lovely husband, he's always there for me, always driving. He's spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms and a lot of car parks waiting for me."

The video comes after Katie recently opened up to her fans about finding it 'mentally hard' as she undergoes more surgeries and continues life with the injuries she sustained in an acid attack in 2008. The 40-year-old presenter suffered major injuries and blindness in one eye after being attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend and an accomplice 15 years ago.

On Wednesday (29 November), she took to social media to share a few snaps from the hospital after undergoing tarsorrhaphy surgery on her left eye. Sharing a snap from hospital, Katie captioned the Instagram post: "I’ve also had scar tissue operated on on my right eye, so that will also be slightly swollen. I wanted to put this here for a few reasons: Firstly to educate that living with the kind of injuries I have means things will change throughout your life and sometimes things go backwards.

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"There isn’t really an end point and part of this kind of recovery is acceptance of that. Secondly with a disfigurement surgical decisions have to be based around function not aesthetics. In my case, I am trying to preserve the eye, avoid perforation and losing my eye completely."

Katie is a regular panellist on Loose Women (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

She continued: "Also just because something is on view permanently it doesn’t give people the right to constantly comment on your appearance- you never know what’s going on in someone’s life. Also, if this helps anyone else…. yes I do sometimes find it hard. I’m ok with looking different to everyone else but operations can sometimes take me back to memories of how this all started and that’s hard mentally.

"I always think I’m incredibly lucky with this space here on IG. I feel like I have an intelligent, interesting and kind following. So I know most of you will find this update useful and probably have had your own similar journeys of medical or mental health recoveries, but for the few that will send msgs or leave negative comments (I’ve heard them all before, nothing new) then this explanation/ education is for you."

Reflecting on her life, Katie wrote: "I’m still the same person. I’ve just had a different path in life to most and that’s ok. For the most part I live a fulfilling, privileged and very happy life. For that, I’m extremely grateful. But as I recover I’m asking that you please don’t troll me. Thank you to my eye surgeon Mr Joshi for taking care of my eyelids all these years. I’m so grateful to him and his team for care, compassion and skill."

Niamh Spence