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Thu 19 Aug, 2004 10:35 am
Woman's tooth gives her sight back
A woman who has been blind since her teens has seen her children and grandchildren for the first time thanks to her teeth.
Judith Smith, 42, had a tiny shard of her tooth implanted in her eye during a seven and a half-hour operation at Sussex Eye Hospital, Brighton.
She had lost her sight after suffering a rare reaction to medication for epilepsy at the age of 15, says the Daily Telegraph.
Christopher Liu, a surgeon at the hospital, performed the operation a week ago using a piece from the root of a tooth to reinforce the damaged optical tube.
Mrs Smith's eyelids were permanently sealed to prevent infection and she can see only through a hole in the right lid. But within hours she was able to view light, shades, colours and shapes for the first time in 27 years.
Mrs Smith, of Redcar, Teesside, said: "The most wonderful thing was seeing my family for the first time. I have four beautiful grandchildren and I can now appreciate that. I can't really put it into words what I feel. It is amazing."
nearly a medical wonder.
Congratulations to the surgeon and especially the woman!