Bionic eye helps Fleetwood man see

A grandfather plunged into darkness when he lost his sight nearly thirty years ago, can now see again thanks to a bionic eye.

The sight is very restricted but Keith Hayman, from Fleetwood, says he can make out flashes of light and his grandchildren.

He is among a handful of people worldwide who have had the treatment for a rare eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Medics want to see if the system can be used to help patients with another eye condition - the dry form of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, which affects thousands of people.

Keith Harman, 65, talks about how a bionic eye has helped him 'see' for the first time in 20 years. It follows an operation at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

A man from Fleetwood who lost his sight 20 years ago says he can now see after being fitted with a bionic eye.

Keith Hayman, 65, had the experimental surgery at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital - one of the first centres in the world to offer the revolutionary device, which restores some sight to blind patients.

It uses a camera and video processor mounted on sunglasses to send images wirelessly to a tiny receiver on the outside of the eye. The hospital is about to take part in the second wave of the trial.