My son can see me for the first time

Mum's gratitude as charity cures her child's blindness

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

A SCOTS surgeon has helped a seven-year-old boy see for the first time after volunteering with an international charity.

And the heartwarming moment when the child sees as his bandages are removed has been captured on film.

Little Mamadou from Sierra Leone was treated free of charge by charity Mercy Ships.

Glaswegian eye surgeon Dr Tim Lavy said: "In the UK, babies are about six weeks old when they receive a cataract operation but in sub-Saharan Africa, children like Mamadou can be left for years without medical intervention. Effectively blind from birth."

Dr Lavy, who worked for 19 years at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, is now semi-retired and spends time volunteering for Mercy Ships.

Mamadou's mother, Salematu, discovered his sight issues when he was learning to walk.