Phil Durst recalls having to scratch his face after a chemical from a commercial dishwasher squirted into his eye, causing what he says was the most indescribable pain he has ever felt.
The 51-year-old man from the U-S state of Alabama suffers from limbic stem cell deficiency, a corneal disorder that can occur after chemical burns and other eye injuries
In his case, it was a work accident in 2017 that burnt his left eye and took away his vision, leaving him unable to tolerate light and causing four to five headaches a day.
Dr Ula Jurkunas, associate director of the Cornea Service at Mass Eye and Ear, the world's largest vision and hearing research centre - explains that the causes of limbal cell loss can be varied.