Double vision: identical twins given ‘bionic’ eyes to help them see clearly

Twin brothers with identical sight problems can now see clearly after pioneering implants.

Gary and David Ellis, 50, were born with a “lazy” eye and suffer poor eyesight caused by an abnormally shaped cornea.

But consultant Bobby Qureshi used a special lens implant to give them perfect vision for the first time.

The ophthalmic surgeon from the London Eye Hospital blasted away the existing lens in seconds with a computer-controlled laser.

The laser also made a tiny incision in the eye so Mr Qureshi could remove the natural lens fragments and insert the artificial lens. Such implants have been around for about a decade, and thousands of patients who want an alternative to glasses or contact lenses have had them fitted.

But many people have still experienced problems after surgery, including glare when driving at night, and blurry vision when they look at a computer screen. However, the Ellis brothers were given a new type of lens called a trifocal, which overcomes these drawbacks.

Mr Qureshi, who is also medical director of the private London Eye Hospital in Harley Street, said: “Using the laser, the whole operation is performed in a matter of minutes. The results will last for a lifetime, however, giving freedom from reading glasses and distance glasses without the glare problems associated with other implants.”

Doctors had advised the twins, of Hastings, that they were unsuitable for other forms of sight-enhancing surgery, which would risk ruining the limited vision they had.

They had tried contact lenses, but the prescription was very strong. David was told by his NHS eye clinic that the lens operation was available at the London Eye Hospital. The cost of the procedure is £5,500 per eye. The twins, who both live in Hastings in East Sussex, underwent the surgery in October 2013.

Father-of-five Gary, a gas engineer, said: “My left eye is so bad I could see hardly anything at all. Taking the children swimming, I couldn’t recognise them in the pool [without glasses or contact lenses] which made the whole process difficult.

“Now for the first time in years I can be spontaneous. It has been a life-changing procedure.” The trifocal lens implant is suitable for people in their thirties or older. It can also be suitable for people with cataracts.