London, Dec 17 : A lioness has become the first in the world to be fitted with contact lenses.

The big cat, by the name of Elsa, was losing her sight to cataracts, and she was refusing to eat and was losing dangerous amounts of weight, reports the Daily Star.

But the 18-month-old animal, who inherited the condition at birth, was given lens implants at a zoo in Rome.

Vet Nunzio D’Anna, 42, was so interested in Elsa’s case that he treated her for free. (ANI)