Case study: ‘I was nervous, as this was pretty much the unknown’

Grandmother Sylvia Paton was born with a rare eye condition called aniridia, which causes the incomplete formation of the iris and results in a loss of vision.

As a result, Mrs Paton, 50, is extremely short-sighted and has only 10 per cent of the vision that a sighted person has.

Her vision is affected by her environmental surroundings, which means her eyes are very sensitive to daylight and darkness.

The personal assistant told how she agreed to take part in the trial in the hope that it would improve her quality of life and help other people suffering from debilitating eye conditions.

She said: “I was nervous, as this was pretty much the unknown. But I have been a blood donor for many years and am a registered organ donor, so I guess I saw this as a next step.

“As I get older, my vision is deteriorating and much as I try to get on with things I have had to slow down.

“Until now there’s really nothing that could be done to combat the effects of this type of blindness and this offers real hope.”

Another reason Mrs Paton agreed to take part in the trial is because her son, Michael, 23, has the same eye condition and she hopes the treatment could one day restore his vision.

She also told how she dreamt of being able to see her son and his family properly for the first time.

She added: “When I was younger I dreamed of being in the RAF, but knew I had no chance. It would be great to be part of something that could transform the lives of future generations and enable them to do things I never could.”

Mrs Paton will undergo another operation in nine months’ time, when she will find out if she will be able to see fully for the first time in her life.

She said: “Everything is good so far, and I am very hopeful that this could be life-changing.”