Ophthalmologists and their patients are among the biggest beneficiaries of modern medicine. Eye diseases are usually treated easily with either drugs or painless procedures that involve laser surgery. Desperate times, however, call for unconventional measures, and that's what happened to give a blind Irishman the chance to see again.

Bob McNichols was blinded in a freak accident at an aluminum recycling plant in County Mayo. An explosion caused permanent damage to his eyes, leaving him completely sightless for two years.

McNichols recalls believing that he'd never see again, but he heard of a special operation called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis which involves the use of the patient's own tooth in treating his condition. In this procedure, a tooth, its root, and part of the jaw is extracted and implanted into an eye socket.

While that may seem strange, the procedure has actually been around and approved since it was introduced in Italy almost 50 years ago. Dr. Christian Liu at the Sussex Eye Hospital was recognized as one of the best in this special operation, and was tapped by McNichols to perform it on him.

As it turns out, a patient's offspring can also donate the tooth for the operation. McNichols' 23-year old son Robert stepped up and made the necessary sacrifice. After a total of 15 hours on the operating table, the older McNichols showed positive results.

Dr. Liu's team had successfully created artificial support for McNichols' cornea using the tooth. They outfitted it with a lens and were able to implant it into both eyes without any damage. From total blindness, McNichols now has part of his vision restored and can now enjoy more normal things in life.