Artificial eyes to be implanted in eye-gouged boy

A boy who had his eyes gouged out more than ten days ago will have a pair of artificial ones implanted, a local hospital said on Wednesday.

Guo Bin, 6, was lured by a woman into a field, where she gouged out his eyes on Aug. 24. The incident sparked public outrage nationwide.

Jia Yading, director of Shanxi Eye Hospital, said the boy's eyelids have healed and the hospital will implant a pair of artificial eyes (ocular prosthesis) in a month's time.

"The artificial eyes cannot restore his sight," Jia said, who is also the head of the therapeutic team responsible for Guo's treatment.

Local police said on Tuesday that Zhang Huiying, Guo's aunt, was the suspect based on investigations and DNA test results, as the boy's blood was found on her clothes.

Zhang, the wife of Guo's father's older brother, killed herself on Aug. 30, by jumping into a well in Qiaojiazhuang Village in Fenxi County.