'Priceless gift' Doctor has sight restored in time for wedding day

A DOCTOR who was contemplating having her eye removed had her sight restored in time for her wedding thanks to a first-of-its-kind genomics lab.

- Ella PICKOVER

Ellie Irwin had a rare bacterial eye infection which had been causing problems for five years.

Before the new genomic service at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh), experts were unable to identify the cause of the problem, which left her considering whether or not to have her eye removed.

But the so-called metagenomics team at Gosh was able to identify the cause of the problem using a catch-all genetic test.

Scientists found Dr Irwin's issues had been caused by a rare bacterial infection and after a course of antibiotics her symptoms began to clear, restoring her eyesight in time for her wedding earlier this year.

The 29-year-old doctor, from Bristol, said: "I will never be able to thank the teams that continued to fight to find answers for me enough.

"Metagenomics has truly been game-changing for me.

"I spent Boxing Day of 2023 in hospital, thinking about whether it was time to have my eye removed.