A Maryland woman said a botched application of eyelash extensions left her vision blurry and cost her more than $1,700 in medical bills.

Monica Reid said she went to a salon in Crofton, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., five months ago to get eyelash extensions.

“I just started a new job,” she said. “I was treating myself.”

A beautician at Sky Nails & Spa painfully damaged her eyes and didn’t have an emergency kit to treat her, Reid said.

“You have to kind of tape part of your eyelids down, and when she took the tape off, I blinked, and the edges of my eyelashes were glued shut,” she said.

She had to use her finger to pry her eyes open, she said.

“I was afraid I was going to lose my sight,” she said. “I'm still pretty much traumatized by it.”

She said she drove to a hospital, where doctors flushed out her eyes.

In an email to Reid, the salon’s insurance carrier, The Hartford, offered her $84.79 for out of pocket costs and $1,000 for pain and suffering.



An attorney representing the salon said he’s reviewing the case and declined to comment. They’re working with Reid and her attorney to resolve her concerns.

Reid warned other woman about the risks of getting eyelash extensions.

“There should be some kind of notice to clients that this could lead to some type of dangers,” she said.