Professor Francisco Figueiredo, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Newcastle Eye Centre, Royal Victoria Infirmary, who treated Paul for his injuries, said: ‘It is safe to say that these grafts have helped to save the vision Paul still has – and allowed us to move towards further treatment to restore his lost sight.’.
Paul, who only found out recently his sight-saving ops were made possible by a placenta, added: ‘I’m so grateful that the amnion graft has helped to keep the sight that I do have and prepare my eye so that hopefully I can get my full range of vision back.
The placenta is often discarded after birth but when donated it can be used to make 50 to 100 amnion grafts, according to NHS Blood and Transplant’s Tissue and Eye Services.
The grafts are used to treat patients for eye injuries, burns, diseases and to help protect the eye in the weeks after a cornea transplant.
Paul required ‘rapid’ care and over the course of a year he received two cornea transplants from donated eyes, as well as ‘essential’ treatment from a donated placenta.
