A six-year-old boy who had his eyes gouged out has had surgery to implant prosthetic eyeballs. And now there are hopes that one day the little boy's sight could be partially restored.
In the first of two operations, Guo Bin was fitted with implants similar to eyeballs by Dr Dennis Lam in the Southern China city of Shenzhen.
Dr Lam had volunteered his services after the six-year-old had been found with his eyes gouged out and covered in blood in Fenxi, Shangxi province, on 24 August.
Police suspect his late aunt Zhang Huiying, who later committed suicide by throwing herself down the village well, was responsible. The boy's DNA and blood were found on her clothes.
Once he has recovered from this first operation, Dr Lam will fit prosthetic eyes to Guo, which will be connected to tissue and muscle allowing them to move.
A spokeswoman for Dr Lam said this had been done to give volume to the eyes in order to fit an eye shell. Then sensory devices that generate electronic signals could be fitted that would help him to identify shapes.
Dr Lam hopes Guo Bin will benefit from the further development of electronic eye technology, although this is something that is five to 10 years in the future.
According to the BBC, Dr Lam, who is based in Hong Kong, said: "We don't know if this will be successful in the end, but if there is this possibility, then why should we not give a chance to little Bin-Bin?"
Initial reports had said the corneas were missing when the boy's eyes were found, leading to speculation that his attacker was an organ trafficker, but police later ruled out organ sales as a motive saying the corneas had been found attached to the eyeballs.
Reports said the little boy had been drugged before his eyeballs were gouged out.
The brutal attack has triggered an outpouring of support within China, as well as frustration that his assailant has not been found.