Cornea transplant
Paul Riggsays getting his sight back after a cornea transplant was like waking up after a long sleep.
"Sight is one of the things we take for granted. It's only when you lose it that you appreciate just how precious it is," says Paul, from Garstang in Lancashire.
He lost the sightin his right eye after he was involved in a crashdriving home from work. Paul received head, spine and stomach injuries, and shards of windscreen glass pierced his right eye. Although there was no damage tohis left eye, the sight in his right eye was lostbecause surgeons had to remove the lens.
"With only one eye you are not able to judge distances. Walking down the street I would bump into people because I could only see from one side," he says.
One of the biggest blows for Paul was no longer being able to play golf, and he was so upset he sold his clubs.But the possibility of a cornea transplant was raised and the operation was eventually carried out at the Royal Preston Hospital.
He had a stitch round his eye for a year, but whenit was taken out he regained a degree of vision."It was fantastic being able to see again. It really was magical," he says.
Paul doeshave some double vision and is unable to read print with his right eye,but efforts are being made to improve his sight with glasses and he's hoping to get back on the golf course soon.
A cornea transplant is an operation used to remove all or part of a damaged cornea and replace it with healthy cornea tissue from the eye of a suitable donor.
Cornea transplants are usually performed to correct problems with your eyesight caused by certain medical conditions.
There are a number of different types of cornea transplant procedure, depending on the areas of the cornea that need to be replaced.
As with all types of surgery, there are several risks and possible complications involved with having a cornea transplant.
It's important to take good care of your eye after a cornea transplant to help ensure a good recovery and reduce the risk of complications.
Paul Rigg says getting his sight back after a cornea transplant was like waking up after a long sleep.
Don Short, 80, from East Sussex, couldn't read a book or newspaper and was unable to watch TV until he had a cornea graft.