UK's top eye doctors ready to help firework victim Tyler

Doctors at the UK's top eye hospital have vowed to do all they can to save the sight of a Burnley schoolboy who was hit in the face with a firework.
Tyler Norris-Sayers, who suffered devastating injuries when he was hit in the eye with a firework, will be treated at the UK's top eye hospital.Tyler Norris-Sayers, who suffered devastating injuries when he was hit in the eye with a firework, will be treated at the UK's top eye hospital.
Tyler Norris-Sayers, who suffered devastating injuries when he was hit in the eye with a firework, will be treated at the UK's top eye hospital.

Tyler Norris-Sayers has been for his first consultation at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, which specialises in reconstructive and stem cell surgery.

But medics have warned Tyler’s mum, Nicola, that he faces a long road to recovery with a series of operations which will involve a corneal reconstruction and stem cell transplants.

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The stem cell procedure will involve taking a skin graft from inside Tyler’s mouth to use as a membrane to protect his eye.

And doctors have said this may take a couple of attempts before it is successful. If the operation does not work with skin grafts from Tyler an appeal for a donor will be made.

Nicola said: “As usual Tyler is taking it all in his stride as he has done since it happened.

“The doctors explained everything to him to so well that he knows what to expect.

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“They haven’t made any promises to us but they are going to do all they can to restore his sight but we know it is going to take a long time.But at least he is in the hands of the very best doctors, who are experts in their field.

“The first step is for Tyler’s eyelid to be stitched open so they can remove the scar tissue.”

Life changed in a second for 11-year-old Tyler when a firework flew into the crowd and hit him in the eye causing devastating injuries during a display held at Rosegrove Railway Club in November.

Family, friends and the community rallied with offers of help and messages of support and when members of the Jap2Jap car club heard about what had happened to car mad Tyler, they organised two shows in Burnley with Tyler and his family as guests of honour.

The brave youngster is now looking forward to beginning a new chapter of his life when he starts at Burnley High School next week.