Blind Mother Given 'Bionic Eye' is Able to Tell What Her Children Look Like For The First Time in 8 Years

A blind woman fitted with a "bionic eye" has spoken of her joy after the device partially restored the sight she'd been losing since the age of five.Rhian Lewis, 49, was given the retinal implant as part of an ongoing trial at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.

Surgeons at the Oxford Eye Hospital implanted a tiny electronic chip at the back of her right eye's retina in a bid to help her see.

The mother of two, from Cardiff, has suffered from retinitis pigmentosa - an inherited disorder - since she was five. The condition causes gradual deterioration of the light-detecting cells (photoreceptors) in the retina, which can lead to blindness.

Mrs Lewis is completely blind in her right eye and has virtually no vision in her left eye.

The images can be black and white and grainy but still have the power to transform lives.

Describing the moment the device was turned on, Mrs Lewis said: "They said I might not get any sensation and then all of a sudden within seconds there was like this flashing in my eye, which has seen nothing for over 16 years, so it was like, oh my God, wow!"