Grandmother sees grandchildren for the first time in 10 years
After being nearly blind for ten years, 72-year-old Solidea Hurst from Wales has finally regained her sight thanks to a breakthrough eye operation.
Hurst began losing her sight at the age of 60, when she suddenly developed age-related macular degeneration. It was so bad, she couldn’t even make out the faces of her four grandchildren. “My left eye had completely gone, I had no sight,” she told Wales Online. “It had been good enough to drive with, but I was worried about having an accident, so sent my licence back […] I’d never forgive myself if I killed someone.”
The grandmother had tried laser eye surgery to no avail and suffered severe headaches, finally being told there was nothing that could be done to save her vision. That is, until a breakthrough, world-first operation became available in London, which could implant an EyeMax Mono lens, which acts by sending a “widescreen” image behind the eye, compensating for the loss in sight.
“Ten years ago I couldn’t see my grandchildren’s faces, now I can,” the thrilled grandmother says. “They’ve grown into beautiful children and it’s so nice to see that happen. I’m very excited by it all.”
These days, Hurst is almost fully recovered and hopes to regain her drivers’ license – and her independence. “My granddaughter used to take me shopping and was always telling me to ‘watch my step’, worried I’d fall,” she explains. “Now we can go shopping together and enjoy some retail therapy.”
What a wonderful story. Have you had vision-saving eye surgery before? Tell us about how it changed your life in the comments below.
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