This woman blew her nose so hard her eye bulged out

Blowing your nose is a normal thing, especially for people who have colds or sinusitis. But be careful how hard you do this or else you end up like this woman from the United Kingdom.

An unnamed 32-year-old woman was rushed to the Leicester Royal Infirmary University Hospital after she forcefully blew her nose up so hard that her right eye ballooned to the size of a golf ball. What’s worse is that she couldn’t see anything or even open her eye because of the swelling.

After a series of tests, the doctors told her that she had orbital emphysema, a swelling that happens when air is forced into the soft tissue around the eye. She also had a fracture in her nose, but the doctors weren’t sure if it was caused by the patient trying to clear up her nasal passages. It was a good thing she got herself admitted because had it been left untreated, she could have gone blind.

Orbital emphysema is usually caused by trauma or a hard blow to the face, explains British Medical Journal (BMJ). However, in this case, they said that “although orbital emphysema is usually associated with trauma, this case highlights a spontaneous cause due to forceful nose blowing.”

The woman was reportedly treated with antibiotics to lessen the swelling which should go down after two weeks.