When 15-year-old Summer Farrelly had an irritated eye, it was never considered a tick could be attached to Summer's eyeball.
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"I started feeling pressure behind my eye, which I thought was just a weird headache," Summer said.
"But the next day it went from pressure to being really irritating, uncomfortable and hurting a bit so I went to the chemist for eye drops and they said it might be a burst blood vessel and if the pressure continues to seek medical attention.
"After 5 days it really started hurting and I looked in the mirror and noticed something in my eye, a speck."
Summer and her mother Cynthia Farrelly tried to remove the speck, thinking it was just a small foreign object causing the pain, but it was firmly attached to her eyeball.
"We got a tissue and tried to wipe it out, but then we realised the thing in my eye was attached to my eye," Summer said.
"It wasn't just sitting in my eye it was stuck to my eye.
"The reason I hadn't noticed is ticks start off really, really small and get bigger as they suck your blood, it had only just got large enough to see."
The family, who have just relocated to the Tablelands Region from Bundaberg, rushed to the Atherton District Memorial Hospital.
In a quick consult with reception staff Summer was told the unbelievable news.
"They said to me 'I don't think you are going to like the answer here, but that is looking like a tick' and we were all just shocked," Summer said.
"I was thinking I really hoped it was just a splinter, I wouldn't have thought I would just wish I had a splinter in my eye.
"It has been a terrifying experience as I just didn't think that could happen, I wasn't prepared for that, I don't think anybody was."
During the four hour wait in the emergency department Summer noticed a different type of pain and suddenly what is believed to have been a bush tick, was gone.
"I felt a flicking pain and it turns out that was it detaching, wiggling out of my eye," Summer said.
"I was looking at my eye with my phone and I saw it drop and it was never to be found again.
"We crawled around with torches to try and find it, but we have no idea where it went."
Summer eventually was examined by a doctor and an imprint left by the tick was discovered and she was prescribed antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection.
Summer suffered no damage to her vision but is monitoring the eye.
Happy to laugh about the experience now, Summer named the tick "Jeremy."
"Jeremy and I had to break-up, and for that I'm thankful," Summer said.
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