Devon hospital offers artificial cornea transplant

The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) has become the first NHS hospital in the south-west of England to perform an artificial cornea transplant, managers say.

Jason Maddocks, 54, was the first patient to receive an artificial cornea transplant at the hospital in December 2024, health bosses said.

He had previously had a transplant from a human donor but that had failed to take.

Staff said they believed more surgeons would adopt the device and its use would spread.

Mr Maddocks said: "Before the operation, I could see the top letter on the visual chart. Now I can read around five lines down.

"Thinking you might only end up with one eye will affect your life in many ways – your driving, your job. To get your vision back is so much better."

Consultant ophthalmologist Harry Roberts is the fourth surgeon in an NHS trust in the UK to perform the operation.

He has successfully given four patients artificial corneas and initial results have shown an improvement in vision.

The procedure is likened to a contact lens being surgically attached to the eye by a single stitch and put in place with a gas bubble.

Mr Roberts said: "Because this is an inert material, it can't be rejected like conventional transplants.

"Therefore, this device is very suitable for patients who would be poor candidates for traditional transplant material."

Since the device was approved in 2024, only about 350 had so far been implanted in Europe, experts told the BBC.

But Mr Roberts said he believed more surgeons would adopt the procedure and more health trusts would take on the device.

Joan Elkington, 88, has near blindness in her left eye.

She is the fourth patient to receive an artificial cornea at the RD&E.

She said: "A lot of me is artificial - most of my arthritic joints have been done, so I am not worried about it at all."

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