In a vehicle accident, a teen’s eye ‘exploded like a grape’ after the sun obscured her eyesight just steps from her school.

In September, Kylie Dean was driving to a marching band concert when her mother, Kelly Dean, claimed the sun ‘dazzled’ her, causing her to softly “slide” into the car in front of her at a stop sign.

While the incident occurred at a low speed (around 10 mph) and the impact was minimal, Kylie was sitting quite close to the steering wheel due to her diminutive height (only 5 feet tall).

This prompted her to bang her head on the driving wheel, shattering her right eye socket into fragments.

According to doctors, her eye popped ‘like a grape hurled at the wall.’

The impact damaged the 18-year-old’s iris (the colored area of the eye) and ripped her tear duct.

Kyle also suffered fractured nose, teeth, and facial wounds.

Kelly reported that an alarm on her phone alerted her to her daughter’s collision, prompting her to visit the scene.

The mother-of-four claimed that blood covered both her and the white Chevrolet Trax she was driving when she found her daughter, and she was terrified her child would die.

Kelly stated that she had just left the house and was walking down the street. We live on top of a valley, so getting to school requires passing through it. There wasn’t much blocking the sun, and it blinded her.

She found herself at a stoplight, with cars both ahead and behind her. She became disoriented due to the sun and assumed the lights had turned green before colliding with the automobile in front of her. She was barely traveling at 10 mph.

The automobile suffered minor damage because of the low speed. It wasn’t a major collision. She had her seatbelt on, but because she is just five feet tall, she sat quite near the steering wheel.

‘Despite the incident occurring at a modest speed, the impact caused her right eye socket to nearly exactly line up with the steering wheel as her head moved forward.’ It was a bizarre accident.

Kelly stated, ‘[When I arrived at the scene], she was covered in blood. She was inside the vehicle, with her face, arms, and pants covered in blood.

‘At that point, I was convinced she would die. Even though I know she’s alright now, when I close my eyes, I picture her in blood.’

An ambulance transported Kylie to Akron General Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where she underwent emergency surgery to close her eye.

Five days after leaving the hospital, Kylie was still unable to see out of her right eye.

To regain her sight and grin, the soon-to-be college student will need prosthetic eye pieces created by a specialist business in Germany, as well as dental implants.

Kelly has created a GoFundMe campaign to help collect the estimated $30,000 required for Kylie’s cosmetic surgery. She clarified that their insurance does not cover all surgeries, as some, like dental implants, fall under the cosmetic category.

Before surgery, Kylie had an MRI and ultrasound, which revealed that her right eye had ‘ruptured.’

They stated that her injuries were ‘one in a million’ due to the crash’s mild impact, and they assumed that the steering wheel caused her face damage.

Kelly stated: “They said they shattered all the bones in her orbital socket [in her right eye].”

The doctor was unable to provide me with the required number of breaks. It was totally smashed. A gash ran down her face from the inner corner of her eye, shattering her nose.

They said it was a one-in-a-million freak accident.

‘During surgery, the eye specialist stated that her eye was like throwing a grape against a wall; it nearly collapsed.’

After her surgery, Kylie spent five days in the hospital in ‘excruciating’ pain and will need two more procedures to ensure her eye heals properly.

Doctors found no evidence of a ripped retina, which transmits visual signals to the brain, despite Kylie’s continued inability to see out of her right eye.

If this is still attached, physicians may be able to restore her eyesight, but her mother says the adolescent would need a prosthesis inserted because the iris and lens are ‘gone.’

A prosthetic iris serves as a surgically implanted artificial replacement for an injured or absent iris. A prosthetic lens serves the purpose of coloring or concealing an injured or deformed eye.

Kelly stated that giving Kylie the money to proceed with the cosmetic surgery would mean ‘everything’ to her daughter and provide her with a brighter future.

She said, ‘She’s just 18. This is the beginning of her life, and she needs to have her teeth taken care of. She’s a musician, and her mouth requires structure.

Our insurance coverage is adequate, yet dental implants remain uninsured due to their classification as cosmetic procedures rather than essential medical care. This will result in at least $20,000 in dental expenses.

After that, she will be able to have measurements taken of her left good eye. A German company that produces prosthetic eye pieces can then receive these measurements.

‘Her right eye and muscles would have to relearn how to see and utilize them, but there is hope.

The teen’s mother went on to say that getting enough finances to proceed with the operation would mean everything to her.

‘[Music] is all she is, everything she has fought for, and she would lose it without the cosmetic surgery.’

‘I just want to give her something back for her future.’

Kylie had barely passed her driving test a month and a half before the crash, and it has severely impacted her senior year.

The passionate musician claimed she never expected to incur such catastrophic injuries from the low-impact incident, and that obtaining cash for surgery would help her reclaim her life.

Kylie claimed, ‘When I first crashed, I had no idea I was harmed. I’m astounded that it was this serious of an injury.

‘Having the GoFundMe and receiving the funds for the surgeries would allow me to return to the way I was before the disaster.

Because of it, I’ve lost so much. I simply want to be able to do what I was doing again.

Kylie continued, ‘If I don’t get the implants and plastic surgery, I won’t be able to play instruments, act again, or drive.

It’s crucial for my future and current life. It is all I do, and I will continue to do it.