An Eye-Opening Experience

The desperate attempt to salvage my eye was unsuccessful... The hard truth to grasp was that I was powerless to the fact my vision and light sensitivity would be gone in my right eye forever.

Written by Shelby Perry as told to Jake Shaw

The days leading up my accident were made up of some of the best memories I could recall on a snowboarding trip. As a group, we decided to go to Snowbird, not only because Utah was home, but because the phrase, “The Greatest Snow on Earth", is something the state proclaims proudly. Near the peak of the mountain we reached the back bowls; a wide basin of slopes that looked as if Michelangelo carved them side to side into a bowl himself. We were first after the rope drop to ride in the untouched, deepest and fluffiest powder you can imagine.

Riding on the ski lift with friends in my blue snowboarding gear.

It was the last day of the trip, February 28, 2021 and also the last run of the day. Countless moments filled with feelings of floating on the snow came to an instant halt... I was in a snowboarding accident. Thoughts of me ruining the ski trip took over and my mind raced with what damage was done to my face. I remember thinking I was alive. Thank God I'm alive.

The broken off branch that went through my helmet.

Me in the hospitol the day of the accident.

Trauma caused to the Sclera, the white visible portion of the eye, was so damaging that the literal open hole in the back could not be stitched back together. Doctors in Utah were hopeful I would regain sight, but when I got back to San Diego and established care with the Shiley Eye Institute, they provided me with a more realistic outcome. By this point I had multiple doctors explain to me that I will more likely than not be blind in my right eye forever. The desperate attempt to salvage my eye was unsuccessful after two emergency surgeries, a stint in my tear duct and 30+ stitches later. The hard truth to grasp was that I was powerless to the fact my vision and light sensitivity would be gone. I did have the choice on whether or not I wanted to remove the eye altogether. Optometrists had informed me that keeping the eye in my socket would increase the risks of developing a potential eye inflammation disorder in my other eye, the only one I now had to see the world. Replacing it with a prosthetic eye was my best option in the long run for my healing journey and efforts to lead a normal life.

What my eye looked like after the first surgery a couple of days after the accident.

I thank every ski patrol at Snowbird and the paramedics, nurses, and doctors at The University of Utah’s Moran Eye Center. If any of the people that went above and beyond to assist in my well-being on that day I will never forget, I want them to know that I am out here living life because of them. What those individuals don’t know is the day of my accident was also the day I was celebrating ten months of sobriety. Such a life changing event would be detrimental to even a person with the “perfect” life, let alone someone in recovery for alcoholism. I would like to think that the behaviors and healthy habits I developed in my sober time was the reason I didn’t pick up a drink afterwards. While that might be true to an extent, the fact of the matter is it was the showering of love and support from my sober community, my friends and family members. I was reminded what I had to be thankful for and a lot of that was directed towards not needing to do this alone.

My name is Shelby Perry. I am still the fun loving, energetic, positive person that I was before but now I am doing it with only one eye.

Months later after the eye was removed.