A man who was attacked by an assailant with battery acid nearly lost his eye — until an innovative procedure using donated placenta tissue saved it.
Paul Laskey, who hails from the English town of Newcastle, was squirted in the left eye with battery acid when a man tried to mug him and his son in February 2023, he recalled to the BBC in an interview posted on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
“It was just burning. Instantly I couldn’t see anything,” the dad of three told the outlet. “It was horrific.”
He was promptly brought to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), where he said doctors immediately suggested the procedure that involves using tissue from a donated placenta to encourage the eye to heal.
Laskey appeared on the Thursday, Feb. 20 episode Good Morning Britain with Victoria Carroll, a nurse who works on the placenta donation program, to discuss the procedure, sharing that he can see outlines now, but still struggles with depth perception.
“I was burning myself a lot on the oven and things, it’s just something you’re not used to,” he said. “You think you’re further away than you are.”
However, his eyesight has improved, and may continue to improve in the future.
When asked what he first thought of the proposed procedure, Laskey recalled thinking it was “absolutely crazy.” He added that he initially didn’t think doctors would be able to “do anything” to save his eye until the unique procedure was proposed.
As the RVI’s Francisco Figueiredo explained to the BBC, “In Paul’s case, which is really quite severe, we began by removing any residues of the chemical agent that may have still been in contact with the eye, before progressing to intensive, topical, systemic and surgical treatment, using amniotic membrane transplantation.”
He continued: “It is incredible to think that this is possible due to the generosity of a mother, donating the organ that she has grown to help grow her child. It really is remarkable.”
As the American Academy of Ophthalmologyexplained in one case study on a similar procedure, “The placenta tissue is made up of components that reduce inflammation and scarring, lower bacteria levels and promote faster tissue healing.”
Nurse Carroll told GMB the procedures are only possible “thanks to the kindness of those mothers who have agreed to donation of their placenta after they’ve safely delivered their baby.” Carroll also noted that moms who’ve had a planned Cesarean are the ones who donate, due to the sterility of the procedure.
Each donation can help up to 100 people, she added.
“It does such an important job during pregnancy to nourish the baby,” Carroll explained of the placenta. “Afterwards it would just be disposed of and it can go on to help patients like Paul.”
