An Emmerdale star has been rushed to the hospital. Michelle Hardwick, who plays Vanessa Woodfield in the ITV soap opera, told fans that she was taken to the accident and emergency department on Saturday night due to an injury related to her eye.
Michelle, 50, praised the National Health Service, branding the service “amazing” after spending time waiting to be treated in her local A&E department. Upon being discharged, Michelle was prescribed antibiotic cream, which she needs to use over the course of five days to treat her condition.
In a post on her Instagram Stories, Wakfield-born Michelle, 50, shared a selfie, showing one of her eyes looking inflamed and painful, after sustaining a scratch on her cornea.
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Michelle praised the NHS for the ‘amazing’ service(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
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While one eye was covered with makeup, Michelle’s other eye was visibly red and distressed, closing over. Captioning her post, the actress said: “Anyone else had a scratched cornea?
“This happened Saturday night… Little trip to A&E Sunday morning to be checked over. Antibiotic cream for 5 days. Good job I’m not back in work til Friday. Thank you to our amazing NHS.”
According to opticians Specsavers, a scratched eye, or Corneal Abrasion, is one of the most common eye injuries. They state: “A corneal abrasion is a scratch to the cornea, the outer layer at the front of the eye, and can often cause discomfort, red eyes, and a strong sensitivity to light. Corneal abrasions happen when the top layer of cells of the cornea are damaged.”
Signs of a corneal abrasion include feeling as though there is sand or grit in the eye, painful eyes, teary or watering eyes, red eyes, sensitivity to light and blurred vision.
They go on to state that while minor scratches often heal on their own, people should seek medical attention if they experience any symptoms to ensure there are no other eye problems.
Causes include airborne particles such as dust or sand, contact with objects like a fingernail, and dry eyes, which can increase the risk of corneal abrasions due to insufficient lubrication. In order to reduce the risk of a corneal abrasion, people should blink several times, rinse their eyes with water or use a saline solution to clean the eye if they suspect there is a foreign object in it.
Michelle’s injury comes just weeks after she revealed an exciting project with Coronation Street star Krissi Bohn, who played Jenna Kamara. Michelle is starring in the short film, Through The Eyes of Bairns, focusing on growing up in the shadow of domestic abuse. Michelle shared several images on her Instagram Story several weeks ago from the film’s set. “Loved this shoot,” she wrote.
She also shared a post from the film’s official Instagram page, which read: “Block one of filming: done,” alongside a clapper board emoji. The caption went on: “So proud of the incredible cast and crew behind Through The Eyes of Bairns. The energy, teamwork, and passion on set have been amazing. More filming next weekend, and we can’t wait to share more.”
