Groundbreaking Artificial Cornea Restores 91-Year-Old's Sight
In a remarkable medical breakthrough, a 91-year-old man in England has become the first patient in the NHS to have his sight saved by an artificial cornea implant. Cecil Farley, from Chobham in Surrey, had been struggling with issues in his right eye for around 15 years before ultimately losing his vision. Despite needing a cornea transplant to restore his sight, Farley's previous surgery with a human cornea graft had failed, and he faced the prospect of another lengthy wait for a suitable donor.
However, Farley's fortunes changed when he was selected to receive an innovative artificial cornea implant, the first of its kind to be used in the NHS. The device, called EndoArt, was created by EyeYon Medical and is designed to replace the inner lining of the cornea, which plays a crucial role in regulating the hydration of this vital part of the eye.
According to the report, the EndoArt implant is similar to a contact lens in its design – a dome-shaped, foldable, and transparent piece that can be inserted into the eye and maneuvered into the correct position using an air bubble, then secured with a single stitch. Farley underwent the endothelial keratoplasty procedure in February, making him one of only 200 recipients of the artificial cornea worldwide to date.
The results have been life-changing for Farley, who is now able to continue living his life to the fullest and even see his wife of 63 years, Elizabeth, with whom he can "just carry on as normal." Consultant ophthalmologist Thomas Poole, who performed the surgery, hailed it as a remarkable success, noting that Farley was a "technically very difficult first patient" but that the implant has worked exceptionally well.
With the NHS facing a growing backlog of cornea transplant patients, this innovative procedure could provide a much-needed solution and become a standard treatment option in the near future. As Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the NHS England national medical director, stated, the use of artificial corneas is an "exciting and innovative step forward in eye care" that has the potential to benefit many patients.
