According to Punch Newspaper, a 22-year-old student of the University of Port Harcourt, Angela Nweze, has shared her painful experience of losing an eye after suffering a rare reaction to an anti-malaria drug, a condition that nearly claimed her life as a teenager.
Nweze, a 200-level student studying Animal and Environmental Biology, said the incident occurred in 2016 when she was 12 years old and being treated for malaria.
According to her, her father purchased a commonly used anti-malaria medication from a pharmacy after it was prescribed for her. However, about a month after taking the medication, she began experiencing unusual symptoms.
She said she initially started losing weight rapidly despite not feeling sick. Soon after, she collapsed unexpectedly while speaking with her mother outside their home in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
“My parents rushed me to a nearby nurse, but nobody could really explain what was happening,” she recalled.
Nweze said her condition deteriorated as she developed severe rashes and redness in her eyes, leading her family to suspect measles or chickenpox. She was subsequently moved between several hospitals in Abuja and Nasarawa before doctors eventually diagnosed her with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare and life-threatening skin disorder often triggered by reactions to medication.
She recounted how the illness left her unconscious and bedridden for weeks.
“My skin blistered and peeled. My nails pulled out, my lashes fell off, and my face became swollen beyond recognition,” she said.
According to her, medical personnel at the National Hospital, Abuja, informed her parents that there was no specific cure for the condition and that her survival chances were “50-50.”
Doctors later explained that her body reacted severely to medications containing sulfur, a sensitivity her family had never known existed.
Although she survived after weeks of intensive supportive treatment, the illness left permanent damage. Nweze disclosed that she underwent eye surgery at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna at age 13 but still lost her right eye. She added that her left eye also suffers complications due to a corneal ulcer.
The undergraduate said the experience caused years of emotional trauma and isolation, as many people avoided her because of her appearance after the illness.
“When I stepped outside, children would run away from me. I became depressed and stayed indoors for years,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Nweze said support from friends and lecturers at the University of Port Harcourt encouraged her to speak publicly about her condition and educate others through social media.
Her TikTok videos raising awareness about Stevens-Johnson syndrome have attracted widespread attention, with many Nigerians sharing similar experiences involving adverse drug reactions.
She called for improved awareness and routine allergy testing in Nigeria’s healthcare system to help people identify dangerous drug sensitivities early.
“I feel fulfilled creating awareness and helping people understand Stevens-Johnson syndrome,” she said. “Many people don’t even know such reactions exist until tragedy happens….See More
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