An accident almost seven years ago threatened to permanently blind a rodeo clown following a firework malfunction during a show. During his routine, Mr Claxton was rushed to hospital after a firework display exploded immediately in front of his face giving doctors and medics serious concern for the showman's face and skin, due to the blast, as well as his vision to the quite obvious and apparent damage that had been caused.
In a story that has concluded with somewhat of a fairytale ending, Mr Claxton was given pessimistic reports and diagnosis' on his long term visual abilities with eye doctors unsure as to just what treatment or help they could give the then 20 year old. Following his trip and treatment at a nearby hospital, Mr Claxton was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where he waited for 3 days before he began to see signs of light and colour, although his visual capabilities extended to little more than just a blur.
The rodeo clown's next port of call, following his stay in hospital, was that of optician Dr Wells, having been advised to seek the help of an eye surgeon or doctor regarding corneal transplants in both eyes with the outlook being bleak in any case. With the family having had contact with Dr Wells in the past regarding eye corrective treatments, Mr Claxton saw him as his first option, a decision which would result in an incredible upturn in fortunes. Upon seeing the damage to his eyes, Dr Wells felt confident that although there was a lot to do, his vision could be improved.
The main issue that Dr Wells identified was that the cornea in both eyes had very heavy scarring. The first of two laser surgery procedures was to remove this build up of scar tissue and allow new tissue to begin forming. Having successfully removed the offending tissue, a second surgery was required to reshape the corneas, around three months after the initial procedure had taken place. Without this second intervention, Mr Claxton would have been left with incredibly long sighted vision, again, something his doctor was confident of repairing. Having allowed his eyes to recover from the initial trauma and subsequent surgeries, Mr Claxton was amazed, as were others, at the speed and amount of improvement that occurred. As of 2011, he now enjoys near perfect 20/20 vision.