Youth ‘tried to take out his own eye with pliers’

A TEENAGER tried to gouge out one of his eyes after apparently taking a concoction of illegal drugs, it emerged yesterday.

The 19-year-old man is understood to have partially removed an eye with a set of pliers in a suspected psychotic reaction to taking ecstasy and LSD.

The youth, from Greystones, Co Wicklow, was at a house party in nearby Bray, when he mutilated himself.

Superintendent Phil Moynihan of Bray Garda Station said officers were called to a house late last month by an ambulance crew.

Other occupants of the house rang for an ambulance after the incident.

“He was brought to St Colmcille’s Hospital where he was given some medication. He had to be restrained by a number of gardaí,” said Superintendent Moynihan.

The youth was then transferred to the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin’s south inner city. It is thought the youth has lost sight in the eye.

Superintendent Moynihan said they suspect illegal drugs were involved. “It appears is was a concoction of drugs. There’s no other answer for it. It was mentioned to gardaí he took ecstasy and LSD. We can’t confirm one way or the other if that’s true or not.”

Superintendent Moynihan added: “I’ve never come across anything like this, not self-inflicted.”

It is understood the youth has since been released from hospital and returned home to his parents in Greystones.

Superintendent Moynihan said gardaí had never come across the youth before and they would be carrying out an investigation.

“We have to speak to him about it, in relation to the illicit drugs aspect. We haven’t approached him yet and we’ll leave it for some time until he recovers. It will be very traumatic for him and the family.”

Medical literature shows that severe reactions, sometimes of a psychotic nature, can occur after taking ecstasy and hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD.

Ireland has one of the highest uses of ecstasy per capita in Europe. LSD, is now quite rare and not as popular among young drug users.