Christy Carlson Romano says she took her husband to shoot clay pigeons for his birthday ... and shot in the face, less than inch away from her eye!!!

The former Disney star hopped on Instagram to explain what happened ... showing off her wounds and a badly bruised face.

Christy says she was shot in the face and hit in five places, with a fragment getting lodged behind her eye. She says the positioning makes it too risky to surgically remove, but she's still able to see normally ... at least for now.

The "Even Stevens" alum says another party at the clay pigeon shooting range "unsafely fired in the wrong direction and shot me in the face."

She says her husband, Brendan Rooney, jumped into action ... assessing the damage and rushing her to an Austin, Texas hospital.

Christy says she's grateful to be alive and she "saw my life flash before my eyes."

Her husband shared a photo of Christy in a hospital bed ... and she's trying to smile through a black eye, while flipping the bird.

Never change, Christy!!!