Former Coronation Street star and popstar Kym Marsh ended up visiting the eye hospital recently, fearing she would lose her sight after her pet chihuahua Rico clawed her eye.

The British actress, 43, told UK media about her “nightmarish hospital visit”. She said, "At first, it didn’t really hurt but my eye was stinging and when I looked in the mirror the left side was bright red."

Marsh initially consulted an optometrist who spotted a small lump on the eye and prescribed antibiotic drops. After using them for a few days, Marsh said her eye showed no improvement and she ended up going to the eye hospital.

"They diagnosed me with a conjunctival cyst and gave me steroid drops but warned me the cyst may never go away, which is scary,” she said. "You take your eyes for granted so it’s really nerve-racking when something like this happens. I’ve just got my fingers crossed that the drops will work."

Marsh left the world’s longest running TV soap in December to explore other roles. “When I was lucky enough to be offered four episodes I could never in my wildest dreams have thought I’d be here 13 years later,” Marsh told The Sun.

Marsh initially found fame in UK talent show Popstars, in 2001, as member of band Hear’Say, which went on to have two consecutive number one hits in the UK.