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The Day I Got My Sight Back

Documentary following 42-year-old Ian Tibbetts, who has been slowly going blind, as he undergoes a series of radical operations in a last attempt to restore his sight.

Since 2002, Ian Tibbetts, a 42-year-old former forklift truck driver from Telford in Shropshire, has been slowly going blind. He has never seen the faces of his twin four-year-old boys. Despite numerous treatments to save his eyesight, nothing has worked - until now.

Over several months, this film follows Ian as he undergoes a series of radical operations in a last attempt to restore his sight. The procedure involves inserting a tiny lens in one of the patient's own teeth and then implanting the tooth in his eye.

Christopher Liu, at the Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton, is the only surgeon in Britain who performs this remarkable procedure. The success rate is high, but it is not guaranteed. Will Ian ever see his wife again - and will he finally see his twin sons for the first time in his life?

1 hour

Last on

Sun 22 Dec 2013 02:25

'How implanting a tooth in my eye restored my sight'

'How implanting a tooth in my eye restored my sight'
Ian Tibbetts underwent radical surgery which involved implanting part of one of his teeth into his eye.

Ian talks to BBC News about his procedure

Credits

Role Contributor
Director Sally George
Director Stephen Walker

Broadcasts

  • Tue 8 Oct 2013 22:35
  • Tue 8 Oct 2013 23:05
  • Tue 8 Oct 2013 23:35
  • Wed 9 Oct 2013 00:05
  • Sun 22 Dec 2013 02:25