Disney alum Christy Carlson Romano faces blindness risk from lodged birdshot

Former Disney child star Christy Carlson Romano is attempting to preserve her vision after a 2025 clay pigeon shooting accident left birdshot fragments lodged near her eye, creating a risk of blindness. Romano told Fox News Digital that she was struck by birdshot at a distance of about 250 feet, hitting a fat pocket under her eye and her forehead. The former "Even Stevens" and "Kim Possible" actress stated that one fragment remains behind her eye, approximately one millimeter from critical structures, and that movement of the pellet could result in permanent vision loss.

The accident occurred in Texas during a birthday celebration for Romano's husband, Brendan Rooney, a former Marine. Romano explained that another member of their group fired a firearm too closely in her direction. In her memoir, "Once Upon a Trainwreck," Romano described collapsing in front of the group and thinking she was dead, while noting that a dark liquid spread across her contact lenses. She recalled looking at Rooney and reflecting on the day's beauty before becoming increasingly lightheaded. The couple drove to the hospital at 112 miles per hour, with Rooney urging her to stay awake.

Dr. Sean Paul, Romano's oculoplastic surgeon, explained that the birdshot entered beneath her eye and became lodged in bone farther back, narrowly missing the eyeball, optic nerve, and eye muscles by about a millimeter. Paul noted that she also suffered a subconjunctival hemorrhage, but the pellet did not penetrate the eyeball. Doctors determined that removing the fragments would be too risky, so they were left in place permanently. Romano described the outcome as a miracle, noting that her surgeon often removes eyes damaged by less powerful projectiles.

Romano credited the medical staff at St. David's South Austin Medical Center in Austin, Texas, for her care. She said the experience forced her to reassess her lifestyle after becoming a mother and inspired her to write letters to her daughters in her memoir. Romano also disclosed receiving a positive cancer screening result in February 2026, following family history that includes her father's death from cancer and her maternal grandmother's death from lung cancer. Her husband's screening result was negative. She stated that surviving the shooting and facing potential blindness have shifted her focus toward personal growth and faith.