Surgeons save teen's sight using pioneering laser surgery

UK eye surgeons have saved the sight of a 16-year-old boy who was facing blindness after suffering from an eye condition called keratoconus. The condition occurs when the cornea of the eye becomes cone-shaped as a result of thinning layers near the center of the eye.

The condition is progressive and usually begins at puberty, causing blurred sight, double vision and even blindness. The seriousness of the boy’s condition was extremely rare at his age.

Surgeons at a hospital in the UK decided to perform a laser-assisted corneal graft, called a Femtosecond laser Deep Anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DLEK), on one of the boys’ eyes, resulting in a full return of his sight on that eye.

The surgery was carried out using lasers as opposed to metal blades, which the surgeons say vastly improves the fit of the graft, the strength of the wound and the patients visual recovery. The graft was inspired by "tongue and groove" floor boards - where the boards fit together like a jigsaw - increasing accuracy in the graft.

Because the operation had increased accuracy and the laser's speed was faster compared to the blades, the operation could be performed under local anesthetic, so the boy was discharged the same day. He is waiting for a full recovery before surgery goes ahead on the second eye.

Read more about the procedure here.