The first person in the world to receive an eye transplant

Doctors in the US have performed eye transplant surgery on a man whose face was almost completely destroyed.

In a report on November 9, a team of surgeons from NYU Langone Health Academic Medical Center (New York, USA) said that 46-year-old patient Aaron James was the first person in the world to receive an eye transplant .

Doctors examine Mr. James' left eye in October 2023 - Photo: CTV News

James suffered a serious high-voltage accident while working in June 2021. According to the AP, it was a miracle that he survived the 7,200-volt shock. However, he lost his left arm, most of his face, and his left eye. His right eye still functions normally.

James' left eye socket and eyelid surgery began in May 2022. He is currently recovering well and his left eye is doing very well.

“I feel great. I still can’t move my eyes. My eyelids still can’t blink. But I have feeling back,” the patient told the AP news agency .

Speaking about being the world's first eye transplant recipient, James said: "You have to start somewhere, there has to be a first person somewhere. You might learn something that will help the next person."

Transplanting the cornea (the clear tissue that covers the front of the eye) is now a common way to treat some forms of vision loss. But transplanting the entire eye, including the eyeball, blood vessels and the vital optic nerve that connects to the brain, is not yet possible. James' transplant is considered a major step forward in the effort to cure blindness.

Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, chief of NYU's plastic surgery department and the transplant leader, said it was unclear whether James would regain vision in his left eye, but the surgery brought "us one step closer" to a cure.

Some experts feared the transplanted eye would quickly shrivel up like a raisin. But last month, doctors said Mr. James’s left eye was circulating well and showed no signs of rejection.

Researchers began analyzing recordings from Mr James' brain scans and discovered some puzzling signals from the damaged optic nerve.

Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, chairman of ophthalmology at Stanford University in California, praised the NYU team's "boldness" in its goal of repairing the optic nerve and hopes the transplant will spur more research.

According to QUANG NGHIA - Tuoi Tre Online

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