JUDITH SMITH cried with joy as she saw her grandchildren for the first time after surgeons restored her sight by implanting part of a tooth inside her eye.

She had been blind for nearly 30 years after suffering a rare reaction to epilepsy medication when she was 15.

Surgeon Christopher Liu has transformed her life by using a tiny piece of the root of one of her teeth to reinforce a damaged optical tube, which had left her blind.

After the operation, Mrs Smith, from Redcar, said: "I had forgotten how beautiful the world can be. The most wonderful thing has been to be able to see my family and my grandchildren.

"Before the operation, I could see just light and dark, so I could tell whether it was day or night."

The surgery was carried out at Sussex Eye Hospital.

Mrs Smith, who lives with partner Tom Ellison, said: "I can see my hand in front of my face and I haven't seen that for 20-odd years."