Why You Shouldn’t Get Poison Ivy in Your Eyes

A Connecticut teenager got a good laugh at her sister’s expense when photos of the 21-year-old went viral this week showing her face swollen and eyes nearly completely shut. 

Emily Petrozza had poison ivy on her hand a few days earlier and went to take out her contact lenses. That’s when the allergic reaction took hold, completely transforming the young woman’s face into what looked like a cartoon character.

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While Emily was at the urgent care, she sent her younger sister Lauren a photo, which she promptly posted to Twitter as any good sister would. The images have since gone viral. 

“I think it’s funny. I thought people in my town would get a kick out of it,” Lauren told NBC Connecticut. “But I guess everyone else did too.”

She said after posting the photos, many people have written to say they too have had similar experiences. Let this be a lesson to every outdoors enthusiast: Don’t touch your eyes if you might have touched poison ivy?