Artificial cornea makes 91-year-old an NHS first for sight-saving surgery

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. 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. 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”. open image in gallery Thomas Poole, consultant ophthalmologist at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust was one of the lead consultants for Cecil Farley’s surgery Mr Farley, from Chobham in Surrey, had problems with his eye for around 15 years. open image in gallery ‘It makes your life fuller when your eyes work properly,’ said Cecil Farley “Looking forward, I think this may end up replacing human corneas for certain types of corneal graft patients.