Topline
A surgical team from New York University completed the world’s first whole-eye and partial transplant on a 46-year-old man earlier this year, the university announced Thursday, though it is unknown whether he will be able to regain sight in his new eye.
Key Facts
Aaron James, a military veteran from Hot Springs, Arkansas, underwent a 21-hour surgery on May 27 to transplant a whole left eye and socket, including the orbital bones and surrounding eye tissues around the optic nerve, and a partial face, NYU’s Langone Health said Thursday.
The partial face transplant included a new nose, left upper and lower eyelids, a left eyebrow, upper and lower lips and underlying skull, cheek, nasal and chin bone segments, according to NYU.
James — who regained the ability to taste, smell and eat solid foods — received the organs from a single donor after waiting just three months, the university said, adding the total time between James’ “extensive injuries” in 2021 that caused the loss of his left eye to his transplant was less than two years.
Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the operation, said the surgical team combined the donor eye with adult stem cells derived from the donor’s bone marrow, which then allowed the eye to be injected into James’ optic nerve connection.
Previous attempts to restore vision through whole-eye transplants have “remained elusive,” the university said, because of the “complex nature of the eye and the challenges associated with nerve regeneration, immune rejection and retinal blood flow.”
Bruce Gelb, a transplant surgeon at NYU, said the “progress we’ve seen with the eye is exceptional,” adding that the surgical team will continue to monitor the eye, which has shown “remarkable signs of health,” including direct blood flow to the retina.
Big Number
More than 140. That’s how many surgeons, nurses and other healthcare professionals were involved in the procedure, according to NYU.
Crucial Quote
“This highly technical and complex surgery represents a significant advancement in the field of face transplantation,” Oren Tepper, a plastic and reconstruction surgeon, told CNN.
Key Background
James survived a 7,200-volt shock while working as a high-voltage lineman in June 2021, when his face touched a live wire, according to NYU. James suffered several injuries from the incident, including the loss of his left eye, his dominant left arm from above the elbow, his nose and lips, front teeth, left cheek area and chin down to the bone. NYU was introduced to James two months after the injury, after James was referred by specialists at a Texas-based center where he was receiving care. Rodriguez oversaw the procedure to remove James’ left eye, recommending the optic nerve be cut as close to the eyeball as possible in the hopes of a future transplant. James was discharged from NYU on July 6 and returned home on September 14. He returns to New York each month for follow-up appointments. James will continue to undergo clinical tests on his transplanted eye, including a test that measures the electrical response of the retina to light.
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