TEENAGER Hayley Torr today told how she is waiting to learn if she will lose her sight after being shot in the eye.

Hayley, 19, of Shepherds Croft, Portland, suffered horrific injuries after being hit with an air rifle pellet during an evening with friends.

Now she has spoken about the ordeal - which has left the pellet embedded in her head - to convince other youngsters to steer clear of the weapons.

"After it happened my whole eye filled with blood.

"All I kept saying was that I don't want to be blind, and I was crying and crying.

"Lads have the rifles to show off; they're boys' toys."

Hayley was taken to Dorset County Hospital after the incident where doctors performed a brain scan, stitched her eye and gave her morphine.

After discovering the pellet had lodged and fragmented in the back of her eye she was rushed to London's Moorfields Eye Hospital by air ambulance where nine specialists battled to save her eyesight.

She now has almost no vision in her right eye and has been warned that, even if it heals, her retina could become detached - a post-injury danger that can lead to sight loss.

Hayley's mother Dawn Brocklehurst, a nurse, said: "This has caused so much trauma to our family; I was hysterical when she went into hospital.

"The doctors say it could have killed her and we still don't know the final outcome. It's been awful."

Now the family is pleading with youngsters to help rid Portland of similar weapons.

Mrs Brocklehurst said: "Hand them over to police.

"There have been more and more incidents across the country recently involving guns and weapons and now it's on our doorstep.

"This is a small community and we could easily stamp it out."

Hayley was due to sit her driving test, describing it as her dream' to pass.

But she is now off the road indefinitely, visiting hospital for regular check-ups and taking eye drops and antibiotics.

She said: "I'd never thought about being blind before but now I realise how important eyesight is."

Doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down before they decide whether to remove the pellet from Hayley's head.

DC Neil Gilbraith of Dorset Police said a 20-year-old local man had been arrested and bailed in connection with the shooting incident.

"Although things like this are very rare it shows how dangerous air rifles are," he said.