Cecil Farley faced a year-long wait for sight-saving surgery after a human cornea transplant failed, but his surgeon offered him an artificial one.
A 91-year-old man has made history by becoming the first patient in England to receive an artificial cornea.
It has been likened to a contact lens and is surgically attached to the eye by a single stitch and put in place with a gas bubble. The pensioner, who used to own a flooring company, said that once his sight is fully restored he wants to do practical tasks like repairing a watch, but for now he is content "pottering about".
"We now have a very long waiting list for a human cornea, which we’ve been using for many years very successfully. The problem is if you’ve got patients whose eyes are getting worse, you can’t get a human cornea for over a year. Speaking about Mr Farley’s case, Mr Poole said: "He has had a failed corneal graft and his cornea – which is the clear window at the front of the eye – was cloudy and waterlogged."He’d had lots of previous surgeries and my concern was we could use a human cornea for him again, but that’s got a high risk of failure… he was kind of getting to last hope.
NHS England national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "The use of artificial cornea transplants is an exciting and innovative step forward in eye care, which has the potential to benefit many patients needing treatment to improve or restore their vision."It could provide an additional treatment option for those waiting for donated transplants, and it’s heart-warming to hear of patients like Cecil already benefiting from its use.
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