A 70-year-old woman in South Florida alleges a face lift procedure left her blind and she might need to have her “eye sewn shut.”

Dian, who requested her last name be withheld due to the nature of her condition, has been forced into hiding due to the severe aftermath of a cosmetic procedure gone wrong. Once active and vibrant, Dian now finds herself in constant pain and isolated from her previously active lifestyle, according to 7 News Miami.

“I can’t tolerate air conditioning, fans, or even the heat from the oven. It’s been a nightmare,” Dian told the outlet.

The ordeal began in February when Dian underwent a partial facelift, a procedure she hoped would rejuvenate her appearance. Instead, she woke up to complete darkness in her vision.

“I was screaming because it was total blackness. I couldn’t even see a little speck of light. Nothing. Completely black,” she recounted. (RELATED: Plastic Surgeon Gets 15-Day Sentence For Leaving Woman For 5 Hours With 7 Times Amount Of Anesthesia Needed For Op)

The surgery left Dian with an inability to fully close her eyes, causing severe dryness and a deteriorated cornea. Her vision remains impaired six months later, particularly in her right eye, she told the outlet. Her once symmetrical eyes are now noticeably uneven and she struggles with basic daily activities. 

Dian said she was left waiting for hours at the surgeon’s clinic, only receiving saline and gauze without any substantive care. “He just left me in the waiting room for about three or four hours,” she told the outlet.

The situation worsened when Dian consulted an eye specialist who revealed the severity of her condition. “Because your eye isn’t closing, the cornea is drying out and now that it’s dried out so much, you’ve created this huge, ulcerated cornea,” the specialist explained. This diagnosis leaves Dian facing the potential need for an ocular plastic surgeon, with costs that could exceed $30,000.

Dian’s surgeon denied responsibility for the damage to her eyelids and claimed he requested follow-up visits in an email to the outlet responding to Dian’s allegations. 

Adding to Dian’s distress is the revelation that her surgeon does not carry medical malpractice insurance— a fact that became apparent only after she considered legal action.

“I’m at a loss at this point,” Dian lamented. Without insurance, Dian faces the grim reality of either covering the financial burden herself or pursuing a potentially fruitless legal battle against an uninsured doctor.

Attorney William Robinson explained that in Florida, doctors who do not practice in hospitals are not legally required to maintain malpractice insurance. “They’re supposed to have a sign on the door or their office letting potential patients know that they don’t carry insurance and they are going to be financially responsible,” Robinson said. (RELATED: Authorities Charge Plastic Surgeon With Manslaughter After Wife Dies Following Surgery)