Katie Piper gets ‘artificial eye’ 16 years after acid attack

Katie Piper has decided to get an “artificial eye” more than 16 years after an acid attack which left her with serious injuries and permanent scarring.

The TV presenter shared the news on Instagram, saying it follows “many years of battling” with her health.

“I’ve reached the end of [the] road somewhat, and the decision has been made to try a prosthetic eye shell,” she wrote.

The former model has had hundreds of surgeries to repair damage to her face and eyesight following an attack on the orders of her ex-boyfriend, which took place when she was 24 years old.

According to the NHS’s National Artificial Eye Service, a prosthetic eye shell – also known as a cosmetic shell – is a thin artificial eye individually manufactured for patients.

It is designed to fit over a blind and damaged eye, and is often used when people feel sensitive or conscious about their eyes, explains medical consultant Dr Chris Smith.

In her Instagram post, Piper, 41, also shared a video that appeared to show her being fitted with the prosthetic.

“This marks the start of a journey to have an artificial eye, with an incredible medical team behind me.

“As always I’m incredibly grateful to all those in the NHS and private health care system for their talent and kindness.

“I will share my journey, I’m hopeful and nervous about being able tolerate it and would love to hear from any of you in the comments if you’ve been on this journey or have any advice.”

After the attack in 2008, she lost sight in one eye but doctors at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, restored it.

Piper, a mother of two, set up her own foundation aimed at making it easier to live with burns and scars.

She has previously said that society needs to change for people with facial disfigurements to feel accepted.

In 2009, she made a Channel 4 documentary about her experience called Katie: My Beautiful Face.

She was made an OBE in 2021 in honour of her services to charity and victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries.