"I lost my eye after wearing $300 sunglasses in a car accident - the airbag smashed them into my face"
- 8 months ago
A woman who lost her eye after her $300 designer sunglasses smashed on her face in a car crash has made her own shatterproof shades to stop it happening to others.
Hannah Oliver, 28, was going to see her husband, James Oliver, 30, in Atlanta, Georgia, US, when a car pulled out in front of her - causing her to slam into it.
Despite only driving 25mph at the time, her designer sunglasses - worth $300 - shattered when the air bag in her car hit her face.
The impact deflated her right eye, detached her retina and severed her optic nerve.
Medics said nothing could be done to save her right eye and had to undergo six surgeries to remove the glass, repair her eyelid and prepare it for a prosthetic.
Hannah “grieved” her eye – and even had a funeral for it at the site of the crash – but now “loves herself”.
She has launched Blue Eye Sunglasses, selling stylish shatterproof sunglasses.
Hannah, a business owner, from Atlanta, Georgia, said: “I was wearing my $300 designer sunglasses that I loved.
“They shattered in my eye.
“Looking in the mirror I could see my right eye hanging off and my bottom eye lid wasn’t there at all.
“I was a hot mess."
After being transferred to Graydon Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, in August 2021 doctors were concerned the glass from Hannah’s sunglasses could have gone into her brain, she said.
She said: “My eye was diced into pieces.
“There was no saving it.
“If I wasn’t wearing sunglasses, I would still have my eye.”
She had two surgeries to take all the glass out of her eye, another to repair the top of her eyelid and a further three to repair her eye for a prosthetic.
Hannah was due to get married in November 2021 and worried her partner, James, who helps with Hannah’s business, wouldn’t want to be with her after losing her eye.
She said: “When this happened, I didn’t know if he was going to stay with me.
“I thought 'now my life is going to be completely different'.”
Hannah focused on the wedding and said it really “hit” her after that she had lost her eye.
She said: “I didn’t like how I looked.
“I was grieving who I used to be and accepting who I am.”
Hannah was able to find self-acceptance in April 2022 and even held a funeral for her eye.
She said: “I went to the scene of where I lost my eye and bought myself flowers.”
Hannah had started wearing prosthetic eyes in September 2022 and now wears fun eyes – such as different colours and a ‘galaxy’ themed one.
She said: “This is who I am now.
“I don’t hide anymore.”
After losing her eye Hannah researched sunglasses that wouldn’t shatter to protect her eyes.
She struggled to find any stylish or designer shades that were made of a shatterproof material.
Hannah said: “None of them looked girly or stylish.”
She decided to go about making some herself and has now launched her own range of sunglasses – made from polycarbonate lenses – which don’t shatter.
Hannah launched her range in August 2023 – with three stylish designs costing $110 each.
She said: “I’m a fashion girl.
“I hate that I lost my eye, but I love who I am now.
“The sunglasses industry is for fashion not safety.
“I’m trying to change that.”
www.blueeyesunglasses.com
Hannah Oliver, 28, was going to see her husband, James Oliver, 30, in Atlanta, Georgia, US, when a car pulled out in front of her - causing her to slam into it.
Despite only driving 25mph at the time, her designer sunglasses - worth $300 - shattered when the air bag in her car hit her face.
The impact deflated her right eye, detached her retina and severed her optic nerve.
Medics said nothing could be done to save her right eye and had to undergo six surgeries to remove the glass, repair her eyelid and prepare it for a prosthetic.
Hannah “grieved” her eye – and even had a funeral for it at the site of the crash – but now “loves herself”.
She has launched Blue Eye Sunglasses, selling stylish shatterproof sunglasses.
Hannah, a business owner, from Atlanta, Georgia, said: “I was wearing my $300 designer sunglasses that I loved.
“They shattered in my eye.
“Looking in the mirror I could see my right eye hanging off and my bottom eye lid wasn’t there at all.
“I was a hot mess."
After being transferred to Graydon Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, in August 2021 doctors were concerned the glass from Hannah’s sunglasses could have gone into her brain, she said.
She said: “My eye was diced into pieces.
“There was no saving it.
“If I wasn’t wearing sunglasses, I would still have my eye.”
She had two surgeries to take all the glass out of her eye, another to repair the top of her eyelid and a further three to repair her eye for a prosthetic.
Hannah was due to get married in November 2021 and worried her partner, James, who helps with Hannah’s business, wouldn’t want to be with her after losing her eye.
She said: “When this happened, I didn’t know if he was going to stay with me.
“I thought 'now my life is going to be completely different'.”
Hannah focused on the wedding and said it really “hit” her after that she had lost her eye.
She said: “I didn’t like how I looked.
“I was grieving who I used to be and accepting who I am.”
Hannah was able to find self-acceptance in April 2022 and even held a funeral for her eye.
She said: “I went to the scene of where I lost my eye and bought myself flowers.”
Hannah had started wearing prosthetic eyes in September 2022 and now wears fun eyes – such as different colours and a ‘galaxy’ themed one.
She said: “This is who I am now.
“I don’t hide anymore.”
After losing her eye Hannah researched sunglasses that wouldn’t shatter to protect her eyes.
She struggled to find any stylish or designer shades that were made of a shatterproof material.
Hannah said: “None of them looked girly or stylish.”
She decided to go about making some herself and has now launched her own range of sunglasses – made from polycarbonate lenses – which don’t shatter.
Hannah launched her range in August 2023 – with three stylish designs costing $110 each.
She said: “I’m a fashion girl.
“I hate that I lost my eye, but I love who I am now.
“The sunglasses industry is for fashion not safety.
“I’m trying to change that.”
www.blueeyesunglasses.com