Moldovan forward Ion Nicolaescu, player of Heerenveen, suffered a shocking injury to his right eyelid during a match of the Dutch Cup against Quick Boys. The incident occurred after he tried to blow his nose, causing his eye to shift out of place.
After entering the match in the 72nd minute and scoring the equalizing goal 2-2 against a third division team, Nicolaescu blew his nose with his hand, causing his eyeball to pop out of its socket. The images went viral on social media, as the broadcast was live and the commentators noticed the situation, raising concerns for the player.
Heerenveen's medical staff explained that the injury was caused by a sudden movement of Nicolaescu's face during the match, which led to his right eye moving out of its socket and becoming trapped in the area of the swollen eyelid. Experts mentioned that such rare injuries can occur due to sudden pressure or excessive strain from blowing the nose forcefully, which can rupture blood vessels and cause eye displacement.
Known as exophthalmos, this type of injury, although uncommon, can affect eye mobility and cause complications. Fortunately, Nicolaescu's injury was promptly attended to by the club's ophthalmologist, and tests were conducted to rule out major complications that could compromise vision or ocular stability.
