"I'm feeling less pain every day."
The victim of an acid attack in Waterford has said that he feared he would never see again.
Tega Agberhiere and two of his friends had a corrosive substance thrown over them last week.
The 16-year-old suffered first degree burns to his face. He is currently being treated in Waterford University Hospital.
Tega told Waterford radio station WLR FM that after the attack, he feared he would "never be able to see again."
"I can see from both eyes but it’s swollen so it’s hard to open them," he said in a video shared to the station's Twitter page.
“My vision should return to what it was before. I don’t know if I need skin grafts yet, they’re waiting a few weeks for it to heal before I find out.
“The pain was so bad I can’t even describe, I thought I’d never be able to see again. I never thought I’d be able to see another thing in my life."
The teenagers, who are skilled footballers and hurlers, had attended training sessions earlier in the day before the attack.
One of them has played underage football for Ireland and another is a skilled hurler.
Tega said that receiving a message of support from Ireland manager Mick McCarthy "made me happy."
“They’re helping me get through every day. I’m getting a better every day because of the messages," he said.
“I’m feeling less pain every day."
You can watch part of the video here:
https://twitter.com/wlrfm/status/1123886225524494336
