Paul Laskey, 43, had his sight saved by a groundbreaking medical procedure using a donated placenta after an acid attack left his left eye severely damaged.
Laskey was attacked with battery acid on February 5, 2023, in Newcastle when he confronted a mugger who had threatened his 16-year-old son at knifepoint. The acid caused his left eye to “melt,” and he immediately feared he would lose his vision entirely.
“I couldn’t see or breathe—the burning was unbearable,” Laskey told Metro UK. “I wasn’t in much pain because it had burned through all my nerves.”
Following the attack, Laskey spent six months out of work, undergoing intensive treatment that included two cornea transplants and three amnion graft procedures from the placenta’s inner lining.
The amnion graft, a sticky, transparent substance, was applied to his eye to heal surface damage and cover exposed nerve endings. This treatment helped stabilize his vision and prevented further deterioration.
Thanks to the success of these procedures, doctors are now planning stem cell treatment to further restore Laskey’s sight.
Professor Francisco Figueiredo, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Newcastle Eye Centre, said: “These grafts have helped save the vision Paul still has and paved the way for further sight-restoring treatment.”
Laskey recently learned his sight-saving surgeries were made possible by a mother’s placenta donation. “I’m incredibly thankful to the mother who chose to donate her placenta,” he said. “It’s amazing that something that usually gets discarded can help save sight and change lives.”
The placenta, an organ that nourishes a fetus during pregnancy, has become a vital tool in advanced eye care treatments.
