LOVE Island’s Theo Campbell has revealed he’s lining up a risky operation on his damaged eye after being blinded by a champagne cork – but it could make things worse.
The 28-year-old lost the sight in his right eye last August while partying in Ibiza with ex-girlfriend Kaz Crossley.
Seven months on, he told The Sun Online he’s considering a cornea transplant, otherwise known as keratoplasty, in a bid to improve his vision, which has been reduced to blurs and colours.
He said: “I might get something called a corneal eye transplant, but it could reject it.
“It’s blurry now, but my other eye is fine. I’ve kind of adapted to it. I have sulked. I have been down, but I’m like most people I don’t cry on my Instagram.
“I accepted it won’t get better. It’s not able to magically heal up. It’s been seven months now.
The 28-year-old lost the sight in his right eye last August while partying in Ibiza
He wore an eye patch in the months after the accident
“If my eye does reject it, it could be worse. I can see colours and shapes and see people are there, but the procedure could make it worse. It’s risky.”
The cornea is the clear outer surface at the front of the eyeball that plays a major factor in people’s vision.
According the Mayo Clinic: “A cornea transplant is a surgical procedure to replace part of your cornea with corneal tissue from a donor.
“A cornea transplant can restore vision, reduce pain and improve the appearance of a damaged or diseased cornea.
He shot to fame in season three of Love Island
“Most cornea transplant procedures are successful. But cornea transplant carries a small risk of complications, such as rejection of the donor cornea.”
The former Great Britain 400m runner still has nine of his original 11 stitches in his eye.
It was initially hoped all the stitches would be removed two months after the accident, but now it could be another year or even longer.
Last month Theo revealed he was shell-shocked after being “slinged” by Kaz.
But he hasn’t ruled out the pair reuniting in the future and said they still have love for each other.
“I’ve got a lot of love for the girl, she’s got love for me still,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to take your own route, maybe further down the line we’ll get back together. I don’t know what the future holds.
“What we had was the real thing, so much love for each other. How it was on Instagram was how it was. We had a great time together. It just came to a fast end unfortunately.
“I’m surprised how we broke up. It’s a tricky one. I don’t have a good answer for. It was fresh all the time, it was all good. The first six months we didn’t have an argument. It was absolutely amazing. Sometimes it’s not as easy for one person as the other.”
Theo is now throwing himself into a new business venture.
He’s launched INKD London in Fulham and has already been inundated with bookings.
Explaining why he started the business, he said: “You find with a lot of islanders, including myself, get this opportunity, you get the followers and some people get left high and dry. I’ve seen it with so many people. They rely on Instagram posts and events for their main income.
“I’m from season three now. Some people leave themselves in the position where they have no business and fall back into their old jobs and don’t make the most of the opportunity.”
The ex-athlete is relishing getting a new tattoo at the studio in the coming weeks to mark where he’s currently at in his life.
“I’m getting a lion with a little scar on the eye and a crown on top which will look pretty cool.”
We can’t wait to see it.
