A dad has thanked a Liverpool children's hospital after giving his young son confidence following major surgery.
Luke Roberts, five, from Llanberis in North Wales, was born with a squint in his eye but as he grew up he 'knew something wasn't right'.
Dad Carl said he has had to wear glasses from the age of five-months-old, but the squint was not getting any better and one day, Luke went to the hairdressers and took his glasses off.
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It was there that other children started 'laughing' and he 'got upset' prompting him to ask questions like 'when will I get my new eyes'.
Carl told the ECHO : "When he has about four-months-old we noticed his eyes weren't right and they were turning in quite a lot. One eye was worse than the other.
"We took him to his GP and he was referred to the local hospital where it was decided he needed glasses and he's had them ever since to help his vision.
"But they weren't correcting his squint so every few months he needed a check up and it was decided he would need referring to a consultant so he was put on a list.
"He was referred to Alder Hey and he was eligible for the surgery. He's had the operation now on both eyes but it was pretty traumatic, he's only young.
"He's going to need glasses all his life."
Luke recently underwent strabismus surgery, which is an operation to straighten his eyes and now his confidence has improved.
Carl added: "Before the surgery he was getting aware his eye wasn't quite right, he would say his eye looks stupid. My girlfriend took him for a haircut and he had to take his glasses off.
"There were other kids there and they started laughing and he got quite upset. That's what pushed us. He wasn't getting bullied but he'd get odd comments when he took his glasses off.
"But his recovery has been great. He's always been a pretty confident boy but his eyes were getting him down. Kids can be really cruel, especially when he went for his haircut and he became aware of it.
"Now he's just started swimming with prescription goggles and has started playing football when he was scared he wouldn't be able to see."
Carl has praised Alder Hey for their support.
He said: "We had a fantastic experience there. They are all really nice and professional. I'm really proud of how he has handled everything for someone so young.
"A big thank you to everyone involved in Luke's operation but especially to his surgeon Damien Yeo. It's pretty traumatic for him and also for any parent who has to take their child to Alder Hey for major treatments or operations, it's very nerve-racking but that are fantastic there.
"And it's helped Luke a lot."
Alder Hey tweeted about young Luke's experience at the hospital.
They wrote: "Meet five-year-old Luke. He recently underwent strabismus surgery, which is an operation to straighten a child’s eyes! As a result of the successful surgery, Luke’s confidence has improved, as well as his interaction with other children and social skills!"
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