New York surgeons announced this Thursday (9) the performance of the first entire eye transplant in a human being. Before this pioneering procedure, doctors only performed cornea transplants, the transparent front layer of the eye.
In the six months since the surgery, performed during a partial face transplant, the grafted eye has shown important signs of health, including well-functioning blood vessels and a promising-looking retina, according to the surgical team at NYU Langone Health.
“The simple fact that we have transplanted an eye is a huge advance, something that has been thought about for centuries but never accomplished,” said Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the team.
The patient, Aaron James, is a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas who survived a work-related high-voltage electrical accident that destroyed the left side of his face, nose, mouth and left eye.
Initially, doctors planned to include the eyeball as part of the facial transplant for aesthetic reasons.
“If some form of vision restoration occurred, that would be wonderful, but the goal was for us to perform the technical operation and for the eyeball to survive,” Rodriquez said.
Currently, the transplanted eye does not communicate with the brain through the optic nerve. Transplanting a viable eyeball opens up many new possibilities, even if vision is not restored in this case.
/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2023/M/9/ZAbzV1StqE84tgRHPmIw/2023-11-09t154557z-386801016-rc2xj3aos1vq-rtrmadp-3-health-usa-transplant-eye.jpg "Surgeons in New York announce world's first eye transplant 8")
Aaron James received the first whole eye transplant — Photo: NYU LANGONE via Reuters
Other teams are developing ways to connect networks of nerves in the brain to blind eyes by inserting electrodes, for example, to enable vision.
“If we can work with other scientists who are working on other methods to restore vision or restore images of the visual cortex, I think we will be one step closer,” Rodriguez said.
James, who kept vision in his right eye, knew he might not regain vision in his transplanted eye.
“I told them, ‘even if I can’t see it… maybe at least you can all learn something to help the next person.’ This is how you start. I hope this opens a new path,” he said.
Rodriguez does not rule out the possibility of the military veteran regaining vision in his transplanted eye.
“I don’t think anyone can say they will see it. But by the same token, they can’t claim he won’t see it,” Rodriguez said. “At this point, I think we are very happy with the result we were able to achieve with a very technically demanding operation.”
/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2023/G/Z/brH7JhSSOOtQFPoMG2vg/press-release-face-transplant-surgery.jpg "Surgeons in New York announce world's first eye transplant 9")
The surgery lasted approximately 21 hours and included a team of more than 140 surgeons, nurses and other healthcare professionals — Photo: JOE CAROTTA / NYU LANGONE STAFF
New York surgeons announced this Thursday (9) the performance of the first entire eye transplant in a human being. Before this pioneering procedure, doctors only performed cornea transplants, the transparent front layer of the eye.
In the six months since the surgery, performed during a partial face transplant, the grafted eye has shown important signs of health, including well-functioning blood vessels and a promising-looking retina, according to the surgical team at NYU Langone Health.
“The simple fact that we have transplanted an eye is a huge advance, something that has been thought about for centuries but never accomplished,” said Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the team.
The patient, Aaron James, is a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas who survived a work-related high-voltage electrical accident that destroyed the left side of his face, nose, mouth and left eye.
Initially, doctors planned to include the eyeball as part of the facial transplant for aesthetic reasons.
“If some form of vision restoration occurred, that would be wonderful, but the goal was for us to perform the technical operation and for the eyeball to survive,” Rodriquez said.
Currently, the transplanted eye does not communicate with the brain through the optic nerve. Transplanting a viable eyeball opens up many new possibilities, even if vision is not restored in this case.
Aaron James received the first whole eye transplant — Photo: NYU LANGONE via Reuters
Other teams are developing ways to connect networks of nerves in the brain to blind eyes by inserting electrodes, for example, to enable vision.
“If we can work with other scientists who are working on other methods to restore vision or restore images of the visual cortex, I think we will be one step closer,” Rodriguez said.
James, who kept vision in his right eye, knew he might not regain vision in his transplanted eye.
“I told them, ‘even if I can’t see it… maybe at least you can all learn something to help the next person.’ This is how you start. I hope this opens a new path,” he said.
Rodriguez does not rule out the possibility of the military veteran regaining vision in his transplanted eye.
“I don’t think anyone can say they will see it. But by the same token, they can’t claim he won’t see it,” Rodriguez said. “At this point, I think we are very happy with the result we were able to achieve with a very technically demanding operation.”
The surgery lasted approximately 21 hours and included a team of more than 140 surgeons, nurses and other healthcare professionals — Photo: JOE CAROTTA / NYU LANGONE STAFF
