Artificial cornea makes 91year-old Cecil an NHS first

A 91-year-old man has made history by becoming the first NHS patient in England to receive an artificial cornea.

- ELLA PICKOVER, REBECCA THOMAS

Cecil Farley faced a year-long wait for sight-saving surgery after a human cornea transplant failed, but his surgeon offered him the chance to skip the queue by using an artificial one. Medics hope that one day the new artificial corneas could reduce the need for human cornea donations.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust consultant ophthalmologist Thomas Poole told the PA news agency the use of artificial corneas is a “great advancement for patient care”.

The new product replaces the inner part of the cornea, which is the clear outer layer at the front of the eyeball. 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.

Mr Farley, known to his friends as John, said the transplant surgery has enabled him to continue to see his 83-year-old wife Elizabeth. He had no vision in his right eye but his sight has slowly been improving since the procedure, which took place in February.

Mr Farley, from Chobham in Surrey, had problems with his eye for around 15 years. Medics from Frimley offered the procedure, which is a type of corneal implant called endothelial keratoplasty and involves removing the abnormal inner lining of the cornea and replacing it with an artificial cornea, rather than a donated human one.