Glue‑Gate: Because Even A Tiny Cut Can Turn Into A Full‑Blown Drama

Four-year-old Saoirse Feeney had to be rushed to a second hospital after a doctor accidentally glued her eyelids shut.

Saoirse was initially taken to A&E by her mum after hitting her head on a wooden table at home, leaving her with a gash above her eye.

Her mum, who is a paediatric nurse, had applied butterfly stitches to control the bleeding before taking her in.

When doctors at Crumlin Hospital in Dublin tried to treat the cut using adhesive, “copious glue use” resulted in the glue spilling straight into the young girl’s left eye.

Her eyelids were left totally glued shut, sparking fears about possible long-term damage to her eyesight.

The four-year-old was rushed to Temple Street Children’s Hospital so specialists could separate her eyelids.

Treating the injury required four separate rounds of irrigation using three litres of fluid to wash away the adhesive.

Barrister Anita Finucane told the court that “the irrigation procedure was an extremely distressing event.”

The chemical process and irrigation caused some of the young girl’s bottom eyelashes to fall out and turned others inward, causing further pain.

She was also left with a considerable amount of glue stuck to her eyebrows and needed antibiotic eye drops four times a day for six weeks.

Her family took legal action against Children’s Health Ireland over the August 2022 incident.

An Irish court has now agreed a €15,000 (£12,000) settlement for the family.

Judge Sinead Ní Chúlachain noted that Saoirse was fortunate to avoid permanent eye damage, stating the payout sat at the top end of guidance for transient eye injuries.

Glue anywhere near a child’s eye is a high‑risk manoeuvre, and this case is exactly the sort of nightmare scenario clinicians dread.

If steristrips won’t hold, it’s usually because the wound edges are under tension, the location is awkward, or the child can’t keep still. And if that’s the situation, then glue is rarely the safer upgrade — it’s just a faster one. Suturing is fiddly, yes, but it’s controlled. Glue is fast, but it’s also unforgiving.

Seems like the NHS is now offering free eyelid welding. Imagine going in for a cut and coming out like a budget action figure whose eyes don’t open.

That doctor must’ve been using Gorilla Glue because that stuff bonds your soul. Someone needs to take his Pritt Stick privileges away.

Glue near a kid’s eye? Bold strategy. Next time, maybe try not turning the child into a human eyelid origami project.