A father-of-two who lost his sight after an accident 16 years ago has seen his wife and children for the first time following a revolutionary operation to restore his vision. Ian Tibbetts, 43, lost the sight in his left eye after a piece of scrap metal struck his cornea and ripped it in six places; further problems meant that his right eye was also damaged and he became almost completely blind by 1998.
Dr Christopher Liu is the only surgeon in Britain qualified to carry out the procedure, called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis (OOKP) to restore Ian’s sight; which involved drilling a hole through one of his teeth to insert an artificial lens, which was later implanted into the eye to provide a new window for the patient to see through. The treatment is not suitable for every type of blindness but because the tooth is part of the patient’s own body it will not be rejected post-treatment.
Ian was thrilled with the results of his surgery, saying ‘I have my independence back now and I can start looking after the kinds while my wife is out at work. Before, the kids were just shapes, I couldn’t make them out.’ He also described the moment he saw them for the first time, explaining that he had pictured them in his head, but was surprised when he actually came face to face with them, saying ‘The image in my mind was totally different to how they were – the features. I gave them a big hug and a kiss.’