Cancer took our Ellie’s eye… coral will give it back to her

A GIRL is being fitted with a false eye made of CORAL in what has been termed a revolutionary leap forward for eye implant surgery.

Little Ellie Paterson will be fitted with the porous sea sphere, which is dotted with tiny, naturally formed holes.

Over a short space of time, the holes will become home to Ellie’s blood vessels, allowing the false eye to fuse with her body.

The unique operation means her replacement eye will move just like a real one and most people will never know she’s been fitted with a false peeper.

Ellie’s dad Alex is amazed at the ingenuity of doctors at Glasgow’s Gartnavel Hospital.

He said last night: “It’s incredible what they can do these days. As a family we’re just absolutely thrilled Ellie is being fitted with such a remarkable thing.”

The special coral used for Ellie’s unique eye is chosen because it has the same micro-architecture as the human body, allowing blood vessels to grow round it.

The striking white coral only grows in a specific part of the South Pacific.

It is harvested by hand by divers before it is processed and cleaned, ready for use in labs. The technology to make coral into eye implants was pioneered in the United States.

But the know-how in using such radical bio-technology is only just beginning to break in Scotland.

Ellie’s current replacement eye is painted so it exactly matches her other eye in a laborious process that takes a highly-trained eye specialist many hours to complete.

They add a plastic cap that has impressively real details including a lifelike iris and spidery blood vessels.

The 20-month-old toddler lost her eye after cancer was spotted by dad Alex.

He noticed a sinister glow in her eye in a picture taken at her big brother’s birthday last September.

Alex, 36, an IT specialist, from Kinning Park, Glasgow, said: “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t like the look of this’ and decided to check it out online.

“Eye cancer was flagged up and we both hoped it wasn’t.

“We took her to an optometrist who immediately referred Ellie to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. It was there that the ophthalmologists confirmed our worst fear.

“Ellie would need to be taken to the national children’s eye cancer referral unit in Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

“We were devastated when doctors told us our beautiful little girl had cancer in both her eyes.

“Removing her left eye was her only chance of survival, they told us. Cancer specialists needed to stop it spreading to her brain and throughout her body.

“She then had to undergo chemotherapy treatment to kill the tumours in her right eye to save her sight and life.

“Our first priority was that our lovely Ellie was saved.”

With surgery behind her, attention has now turned to making life as normal as possible for Ellie, who loves nothing better than playing with her dolls and her big brother Alex, four, whom she dotes on.

Video: How coral implants work

“I had seen artificial eyes on people and always thought they were obvious,” added dad Alex.

“At the back of my mind I feared she would be bullied but we would cope with that as she grew older.

“When doctors told me of the amazing coral implants that moved with the eye we were delighted.”

Ellie has already undergone surgery to anchor a base of the coral implant to the back of her eye. She is now in the process of having the front part fitted in a series of procedures.

Like any caring parents, Alex and wife Corry, 37, wanted to wrap their arms around their daughter to help her cope.

But Alex added: “We are totally amazed by her bravery throughout it all.”

“We thought she would be massively distressed but she’s taken it in her stride,” added her mum.

“Our Ellie has not had the easiest start to life, but she is the bravest girl I know.

“Cancer is a huge battle for any child, especially an infant, but she made it look like a breeze.”

Doctors have told the family that Ellie has a 93% chance of surviving her eye cancer. Corry admitted: “It’s been a scary time for us.

“We entered a world of families all desperately trying to save their children.

“Ellie has been incredibly lucky and now with this amazing coral eye, she will face the world  with confidence. Like all parents of children with cancer we just want to get back to a normal happy life.”
Corry, a credit controller, said: “We are so very happy about Ellie’s new eye.

“It’s the one good thing to come out of her cancer. That, and her clear scans to date.

“We are told no one will be able to spot the difference between it and her other eye. The coral is a brilliant material and the research that has gone into allowing eye cancer kids to grow up with confidence is awesome.

“Allowing our little Ellie to face the world with confidence means so much to us.”