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Tori Spelling Says She Kept Contacts in for 20 Days—Here's What Happened

The 90210 star was diagnosed with an eye ulcer after sleeping in them for too long.

Take it from Tori Spelling: Take out your contacts out when you're supposed to. Recently, the star has been spotted wearing an eye patch on her left eye—including a pink bedazzled one at one point. Spelling revealed on Instagram why the eye patches have been necessary and that the issue was temporary. But it wasn't until the new episode of her podcast that the Beverly Hills, 90210 star got specific about the condition she's been diagnosed with and what bad behavior caused it. Read on to find out what happened to Spelling's eyes after she left her contacts in for 20 days.

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Spelling said she regularly leaves her contacts in too long.

Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth at the Beverly Hills, 90210 Peach Pit Pop-Up in 2019
DFree / Shutterstock

As reported by Entertainment Tonight, on the April 3 episode of Spelling's podcast with friend and 90210 costar Jennie Garth, Spelling gave an update about her eye and admitted to a bad habit.

"It's so silly," she said on the podcast 9021OMG. "It's my fault. I did this to myself. So, I have contacts, but I wear daily ones. And at the end of the day, kids—whatever. I can make all the excuses I want, I don't take them out. I sleep in them and it's not healthy."

She continued, "I've been known to go maybe 20 days. I know, you guys, it's shaming."

She got an eye ulcer.

Spelling said that she was honest with her eye doctor about wearing her contacts for too long. "I'm totally transparent," she said. As for her diagnosis: "I got an eye ulcer. I got an ulcer on my left eye."

Her doctor told her she was fortunate that the consequences weren't worse. "First of all, she said you're lucky to get away with it, considering what you do to your eye for this long," Spelling explained. She said her doctor told her "when our eyes are younger they can take things like this." But, Spelling recognized that "at 49, yes, you're right, I probably can't do this."

She said that the ulcer is painful but has improved already. "They said eyes are remarkable. Seven to 10 days, it totally rejuvenates. I got lucky this time," she said. "Not going to take it for granted, my eye, like, it's huge."

In a post to her Instagram Story, Spelling shared that she had to use antibiotic drops to treat the ulcer, as reported by Page Six.

Corneal ulcers can cause serious damage.

Tori Spelling at the 2021 Jingle Ball
Tinseltown / Shutterstock

According to Cleveland Clinic, "a corneal ulcer is an open sore on your cornea." The site explains that one risk factor for getting a corneal ulcer is wearing contact lenses, especially if you sleep with them in. Cleveland Clinic notes that "a corneal ulcer can cause permanent damage, even blindness if it's not treated. If you think you have a corneal ulcer or have any eye problems that bother you, contact your eye care provider right away."

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Spelling's daughter helped her function with the patch.

Tori Spelling, Dean McDermott, and their children at the premiere of "Moana" in 2016
Tinseltown / Shutterstock

Spelling, who has five children with husband Dean McDermott, said that her 14-year-old daughter, Stella, became her "designated seeing-eye child" and "emotional support child."

"Forget work, but to mom with one eye? Not OK, 'cause moms have to literally hear and see everything happening at one time, and I cannot," Spelling said. She also noted that she's currently unable to drive.

She wore a sparkly eye patch for an event.

Tori Spelling at the FOX Winter TCA 2019
DFree / Shutterstock

Spelling's days of wearing an eye patch may be numbered, but she's turning the opportunity into a fashion statement while she can.

"I had to go to an event that I was committed to for a friend the other night, and everyone said, 'Don't go, you can't do it.' And I said, 'I'm just gonna go.' So, I wore a pink patch and bedazzled [it] to match the outfit she wanted me to wear," the Last Sharknado actor said. "So I walked in and some girl goes, 'Oh, what do you have, pink eye?' and I was like, 'Not funny, that's not funny. No, there's no stink in my eye.'"

"But I literally had pink eye," she joked of the eye patch. "I was like, 'I have an ulcer.' And I was like, that sounds gross. 'I have a scratched cornea.'"

Spelling added, "I'm going to switch to 30 day ones when this heals. Do you think I'll take those out at 30 days?"

Lia Beck
Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more. Read more
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