Pioneering eye surgery has allowed an East Lothian pensioner to see her family for the first time in 30 years.
Great grandmother Jean Black (69), who lives in Prestonpans, successfully had her vision restored after undergoing a ground-breaking corneal transplant with NHS Lothian.
Surgeons at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh were able to rem
ove a diseased section of Jean's eye and replace it with healthy donor cells.
Within days she was able to see clearly for the first time in her life - and see the smiling faces of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
"I couldn't believe it when I realised I could see everything so clearly. It has changed my life completely," said Jean.
Procedure"I was over the moon when I saw my great-grandchildren properly for the first time. I never knew they were so big. It means the world to me."
The pensioner, pictured with her husband Tom (68), is one of only a handful of patients in Scotland to undergo the procedure, called an endothelial transplant.
Jean has suffered from Fuchs Dystrophy, a genetic condition which generally causes cloudy and blurred vision in later life.
Full report in East Lothian News, June 26, 2009