Emma O’Mahoney was no different than most teens with acne in that she wanted it gone. And so, at the age of 15, she started taking doxycycline (an oral antibiotic used to treat acne and rosacea). However, after two years on the drug, she started noticing some pain. And the pain got so bad that for about two and a half weeks she couldn’t do anything.

Then her eyesight started to get blurry. After seeing several doctors she was eventually diagnosed with intracranial hypertension, a potential side effect of doxycycline.

RELATED STORY:

But, what’s really amazing about this teen is that she decided to document her journey on social media. Acne and all. Check out her post below:

For those who don’t know the story of my eyes, here it is. 🙈🙈🙈 This time last year, I lost a good amount of my eyesight. The reason I decided to finally tell my “story” on social media is bc I know there are a lot of unanswered questions and if you see me walking around town with a cane, I don’t want you to freak out. Long story short, last year I had a reaction to some medication that caused spinal fluid to build up in my brain, swelling my optic nerve, causing me to loose a lot of my eyesight. When I was admitted to the hospital, they told me I was a day way from being completely blind. Thanks to Riley’s ophthalmology, neurology, and Neurosurgical teams, I was able to gain a good amount of eyesight back over the past year with the help of surgery and heavy medication. So what can I see? I have a lack of peripheral vision, lovely blind spots that like to dance around my eyes, I’m blind in the lower half of my left eye, all straight lines are wavy, and I do have night blindness. Even though my vision kinda sucks, I’m so so grateful for what I have. I’m finishing my senior year online with the help of technology provided by Voc. Rehab. over the summer, and will be attending college for theatre with an emphasis in social justice in the fall of 2018. I’m not posting this for people to feel sorry for me, bc guys, I’m really fine. I just wanted to give an honest update on my life, something I’ve always neglected to do on social media. So that’s all!

A post shared by Emma O’Mahoney 🍯 (@emmamyhoney) on

Incredible. She’s happy and grateful for what she has.

RELATED STORY:

We could all learn a lot from her. Life is 1% what happens to us and 99% how we deal with it.

“O’Mahoney continues to post selfies and often includes hashtags like #skinpositivity and #ilovemyskin. Even with her horrific ordeal, she’s still promoting an important message of self-love and embracing yourself, which has resonated with her followers. One commenter even said that she gives her the confidence to go makeup-free, to which O’Mahoney perfectly replied, ‘YES BABE! You’re absolutely beautiful and red dots aren’t going to change that!!'”1

RELATED STORY:

Check out this November 2017 post from O’Mahoney, she’s simply inspiring:

I have cystic acne, but I’m going to try liking myself anyways. • For those who haven’t seen me through the throws of puberty, my battle with acne has been long and painful. I started Proactive when I was twelve, and medication when I was fourteen. The Summer after Junior year I finally started to experience clear skin for the first time in years. Then, the medication that granted me my dream skin caused me to lose a good amount of my eyesight and prevented me from graduating with my senior class. Since then, the acne has returned, worse and more painful than ever. I’ve tried what seems like every natural remedy under the sun and nothing works. So I’m going to try something new, I’m going to try liking myself and excepting my skin for what it’s is. Of course, I’m going to continue to search for ways to treat my skin, but I’m going to stop looking in the mirror and hating myself for something I can’t control. My skin is doing the best it can at the moment, and for right now, that has to be good enough. So here I am, no makeup, acne, and happy 🙂

A post shared by Emma O’Mahoney 🍯 (@emmamyhoney) on

Sources and References

  1. KCRA NBC, April 3, 2018.