News
April 18, 2018
A woman's father had to cut a fish hook from her eye after a fishing trip on the Coromandel went wrong.
The Auckland woman, who didn't want to be identified, was on a family fishing trip during the Easter weekend when she got a hook in her eye.
"It happened so fast, but for me, it happened in slow motion. I could see it happening but it was like I was frozen," the woman in her 20s said.
"I didn't know it was in my eye until I looked at my brother and he had gone all white."
The incident happened when the family were fishing for Kahawai near Port Jackson on the Coromandel Peninsula on Saturday afternoon.
As another fisher was hauling her catch into the boat the fish slipped off the hook and the fishing lure ended up in the woman's eye.
Her father cut out the lure while they were still out at sea.
"We were in big sea, some people said he should have left it in but I won't hold my father responsible if I don't get my sight back."
The woman said her father was pretty good with the situation.
"He's a manly man, so he just did what he had to do. It didn't bother him too much.
"I had only taken my sunglasses off 10 minutes beforehand during the rain, if I hadn't then we wouldn't be talking about this."
It took the launch two hours to reach land where they met the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter which transferred her from Colville to Waikato Hospital for further treatment at 4.20pm.
She was transferred to Greenlane Hospital on Sunday and is now being treated for leaking cornea.
"I'm getting more sight in it, when it happened it was just white, then it was foggy and I am thankful I am able to see some colour now.
"It's sore, it's like having an eye headache. I am being closely monitored. I have been threatened with operations which to me sound worse than the accident. I am taking antibiotic eye drops and hoping that it heals by itself without infection."
The woman said she was appreciative of all the medical help she received - from the nurse when she first landed, to the helicopter crew who made her laugh all the way to Waikato Hospital then the staff at Waikato and Greenlane Hospital.
