Lenses restore teenager's sight

Kristian Cook's eyesight had deteriorated from the age of 10

A teenager who was almost blind due to a rare eye condition has had his life transformed by special contact lenses.

Kristian Cook, 14, from Bangor, in Gwynedd, was unable to read a book, play sport or even watch television.

He was diagnosed four years ago with a rare eye condition called keratoconus which affects the cornea, the transparent front part of the eye.

But the lenses made a huge improvement to his sight and Kristian now hopes to win a place at Cambridge University.

"They [the lenses] completely changed my life around. I could read and watch television, all the things you take for granted when you can see," he said.

"Before that, I couldn't do anything at all really, I was basically blind.

He likes nuclear physics, I have lessons from him! Sarah Adams, Kristian's mother

"Everything was turned completely round and now I can do everything I like."

His eyesight had deteriorated rapidly from the age of 10 when he was diagnosed with keratoconus, and his mother Sarah Adams said the family was starting to feel "desperate".

Kristian was about to be registered blind before Ms Adams found a keratoconus self-help group on the internet.

This led to an appointment with a specialist at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and Kristian was given scleral lenses, which are bigger than traditional contact lenses.

"As soon as Kristian put them in, his vision was brilliant and they felt comfortable," said mother-of-four Ms Adams.

"They are quite deep and protrude out of his eye quite a lot and cover the whole of the eye. They looked quite daunting initially."

'Cadets'

Kristian, who is schooled at home by his mother, has already sat and passed GCSE exams in maths and physics, and hopes to eventually study at Cambridge University.

"He plays rugby, he swims, he rides on his bike and he trains with cadets. I can't stop him now," said Ms Adams.

"His aim is to go to Cambridge to study maths and physics. He likes nuclear physics, I have lessons from him!"