A WROUGHTON man can see again after he was fitted with the first successful bionic eye implant.

Chris James, 54, who works for Swindon Council, first began to experience night blindness in his mid-20s when he was suddenly diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa.

Chris’s vision remained relatively stable until 1990, when a large dip in his vision left him legally blind. In 2003, another decrease in vision rendered Chris completely blind in his left eye and only able to distinguish lights in his right.

Surgeons at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, led by Professor Robert MacLaren, fitted the chip at the back of Chris' eye in a complex eight-hour operation last month.

Chris is now able to see a rough outline of simple shapes and doctors believe that eventually he will recognise faces as his brain learns to see again.