- author, Issie Beard
- role, BBC News, West of England
One man said he had been forced to quit his job because of an eye disease that was causing his eyesight to deteriorate.
Dan Bryce, from Ashton, Bristol, was diagnosed with keratoconus, a condition that causes the cornea to become distorted, as a child.
The 44-year-old man said he has restored vision in one eye after seven operations, including a corneal transplant.
He now runs a martial arts business, which he says he used as an escape when his illness made life difficult.
Mr Brice told BBC Radio Bristol that without treatment his condition would have worsened to the point where he would have become “total blind” and would have been unsafe to walk down the street.
As her condition worsened, she was forced to give up driving in her late twenties and required the assistance of a screen reader for desk work.
Twelve years later, he was able to drive a car again and gradually regained his confidence.
Since undergoing the transplant, he is said to be able to recognise faces again and is able to teach martial arts.
He teaches kung fu and kickboxing, but sensitivity after a corneal transplant limits the activities he can participate in.
Bryce is an active fundraiser for Fight for Sight, a leading charity dedicated to funding research into eye diseases.
