Implanted tooth helps man see again

BRIGHTON, England, July 5 (UPI) -- A 42-year-old man in Britain says he was able to see his wife for the first time thanks to a procedure in which one of his teeth was implanted in his eye.

Martin Jones told The Sunday Telegraph because of a scrap yard accident 12 years ago, he was blind when he met his wife Gill four years ago. But with one of his front teeth now serving as a lens holder in his right eye, Jones is finally able to look upon his 50-year-old wife.

"The doctors took the bandages off and it was like looking through water and then I saw this figure and it was her," Jones said. "She's wonderful and lovely. It was unbelievable to see her for the first time."

Jones lost his left eye and suffered burns to 37 percent of his body when a tub of hot aluminum exploded in his face a dozen years ago, the Telegraph said.

Surgeon Christopher Lui was able to restore Jones's sight after helping the tooth grow tissue and blood vessels by inserting it in the man's cheek. The tooth was then inserted into Jones's eye along with a fitted lens.