Thursday, February 28, 2008

Son's Tooth Helps Man Gain Vision

A man has regained partial sight after surgeons inserted one of his son's teeth into an eye socket.

Robert McNichol, 57, from County Sligo on Ireland's west coast, was injured in an explosion at his waste recycling business two years ago.

Doctors said nothing could be done, but he found an expert in the UK performing pioneering surgery known as 00KP.

It treats severe cases of blindness by using a tooth to hold a man-made lens in place in the eye socket.

Mr McNichol's son Robert Jnr, 23, volunteered one of his teeth when he heard about the procedure.

The tooth was removed, chiselled through and a lens placed in its core.

It was then inserted into Mr Nichol's right eye after a series of operations.

Doctors said they could not replicate the procedure on his left eye as it was too badly damaged.

BBC

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