Katie Piper shares decision to get artificial eye 16 years after acid attack

TV presenter Katie Piper has revealed she has been testing an “artificial eye” for more than 16 years after an acid attack left her with life-changing burns and partial blindness. The Loose Women panellist, 41, who advocates for people with burns and disfiguring injuries, shared a video showing her getting fitted with a prosthetic limb. In an Instagram post, she said: “After struggling with my eye health for many years, I have somewhat reached the end of the road, and have decided to get a prosthetic eye. “This marks the beginning of the journey of getting an artificial eye, with an incredible medical team behind me. “As always I am incredibly grateful to all those in the NHS and private health care system for their talent and kindness. “I’ll be sharing my journey, I’m hopeful and nervous about being able to endure it and I’d love to hear from any of you in the comments if you’ve been on this journey or have any advice.” TV presenter Stacey Dooley and radio star Gabby Roslin left heart emojis in the comments, with model and presenter Lisa Snowdon describing Piper as a “warrior” and a “true inspiration”. Singer and former And many people have felt this. You are a wonder.” In 2022, Piper told ITV’s Loose Women that she needed an “emergency corneal transplant procedure” after a hole and pain in her left eye left her blind. The former model, who has undergone hundreds of operations in the past, suffered an acid attack organized by her ex-boyfriend in March 2008, after a decade and a half. After surviving the attack at the age of 24, the former model gave up her right to remain anonymous and made a Channel 4 documentary called Katie: My Beautiful Face in 2009. In 2009, she founded the Katie Piper Foundation, which supports survivors of life-changing burns and wounds, and to mark her groundbreaking work with the Foundation she received an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Surgeons Is. In 2021, Piper, who hosts ITV’s Katie Piper’s Breakfast Show, was made an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honors list for her services to charity and victims of burns and other disfiguring injuries.