Health · Healthcare & Policy · 6 hrs ago
Christy Carlson Romano faces lingering risk after shooting accident
Christy Carlson Romano was hit by birdshot during a clay pigeon outing in Texas in February 2025.
She was attending her husband Brendan Rooney’s birthday celebration when someone in their group fired in her direction.
The pellets struck her face and left birdshot lodged behind her eye, near critical structures.
Romano says the fragment is about a millimeter from something critical and could make her blind if it moves.
She can see normally now, but doctors are monitoring the fragment because removal is too risky.
She said she thought she might die, and that her daughters helped her keep fighting through recovery.
Her vision remains at risk while the fragment stays in place.
Christy Carlson Romano says birdshot lodged behind her eye could still cause her to go blind if it moves.
Romano was hit in the face during a clay pigeon shooting outing in Texas in February 2025.
She said the fragment is about a millimeter from a critical area and is too risky to remove surgically.
Romano said she can see normally and that doctors are monitoring the fragment.
She recalled thinking she might die and said her daughters changed how she viewed life.
- Who
- Christy Carlson Romano was struck by birdshot during a shooting outing.
- What
- A fragment remains behind her eye, and she says it could cause blindness if it moves.
- When
- February 2025; she discussed her continuing risk in an interview published Oct. 24, 2026.
- Where
- A clay pigeon shooting outing in Texas.
- Why
- Another person in the party fired in her direction; Romano said the group member was not responsible with their firearm.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Romano was hit in the face by birdshot during a clay pigeon shooting outing in Texas.
Her husband rushed her to a nearby hospital, and doctors decided the fragment was too risky to remove surgically.
Romano discussed the accident and the continuing risk to her vision in an interview with Fox News.
- Injury
- Birdshot struck Romano in five places, according to her account.
- Location of fragment
- Behind her eye, about a millimeter from anything critical.
- Risk
- Romano said movement of the fragment could cause blindness.
- Treatment
- The fragment was too risky to remove surgically; doctors will monitor it.
- Family
- Romano has two daughters with Brendan Rooney.
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What people are saying
I still have birdshot behind my eye about a millimeter away from anything critical. And if it were to move, I would go blind. So we're hoping that doesn't happen.
I, at one point, thought that I was going to die.
there was another part of our party that didn't choose to be responsible with their firearm and fired too closely in my direction.