An acid attack victim has said he is “so thankful” after his was eye saved by a graft created from a donated placenta.
Paul Laskey, 43, from Newcastle, suffered a severe chemical burn to his left eye after an acid attack.
Mr Laskey’s son was robbed at knife point, and when Mr Laskey tried to intervene, he was squirted in the face with a corrosive substance – believed to be battery acid.
The plumber and heating engineer suffered immediate and significant sight loss after the attack in February 2023, and was rushed to Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary.
The acid “melted” the inner and outer layers of Mr Laskey’s cornea.
His eye could not repair or regenerate the surface of the cornea and the nerves in the eye were failing to function properly.
Over the course of eight months, Mr Laskey had two emergency corneal…