Son's tooth helps save dad's sight

A man has regained partial sight after surgeons inserted one of his son's teeth into an eye socket.

Robert McNichol, 57, from County Sligo on Ireland's west coast, was injured in an explosion at his waste recycling business two years ago.



Doctors said nothing could be done, but he found an expert in the UK performing pioneering surgery known as Osteo Odonto Kerato Prosthesis (00KP).

It treats severe cases of blindness by using a tooth to hold a man-made lens in place in the eye socket.



Mr McNichol's son Robert Jnr, 23, volunteered one of his teeth when he heard about the procedure.

Robert Snr. said: "It doesn't look that great to be honest. People think I look like the Terminator but I don't care. The looks end of it are cosmetic and they don't matter. What is incredible is that I have come out of darkness into light again. I can watch television. I can walk down the street on my own. I can play darts and pool. I can see my wife and kids. It is just unbelievable".