Guo Bin discharged from hospital with prosthetics that look and move much like normal eyes, but do not restore vision

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A six-year-old Chinese boy whose eyes were gouged out in an attack more than three months ago was discharged Thursday from a hospital in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen where he was successfully fitted with prosthetic eyes.

Guo Bin – nicknamed Bin Bin – danced to music at a send-off ceremony at the C-MER Dennis Lam Eye Hospital, where he expressed gratitude and happiness.

The prosthetic eyes look and move much like normal eyes, but do not restore vision. Doctors plan to fit Guo Bin with navigation sensors next summer that would allow him to get around on his own in familiar places.

Police in the boy's hometown in northern China's Shanxi province say they suspect his aunt was the culprit in the attack, although they have not identified a motive. The woman has since killed herself, and Guo Bin's parents have raised doubts.

Guo Bin at the eye hospital with his parents after his implant operation. Photograph: C-Mer Dennis Lam eye hospital/AFP/Getty

On Thursday, the boy's mother said Guo Bin can put on his clothes, brush his teeth and climb stairs by himself, according to reports in Hong Kong media.

"He has adapted well and is smart," mother Wang Wenli said before thanking the medical staff.

The attack on the boy horrified the Chinese public and added to outrage over violence against children.