Photo courtesy of New York Post
Washington: A team of surgeons in New York on Thursday grafted onto a man a whole left eye that was removed from a donor, news agency AFP reported.
The ground breaking 21-hour-surgery, also the world’s first, was performed on a 46-year-old line worker.
Aaron James lost left eye, left arm, entire nose and lips, front teeth, left cheek area and chin as he luckily survived a 7,200-volt electric shock in June 2021.
This safety manager for high-voltage line workers suffered sweeping damages when his face touched a live wire.
Medical science has long been working on whole eye transplant without ever coming closer to anything successful.
Researchers made some success previously in mice restoring partial vision.
James turned out to be the first successful a living person to receive the transplant on May 27at NYU Langone Health, the leading center for facial reconstruction.
Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the long procedure using patient-specific 3D cutting guides, called it a ‘tremendous feat’.
‘The mere fact that we've accomplished the first successful whole-eye transplant with a face is a tremendous feat many have long thought was not possible,’ Eduardo Rodriguez was quoted as saying.
The transplanted eye appears to be in good health with blood flow to the retina which sends images to the brain. However, it is not certain James will regain his sight.
James who returned to home in Arkansas to be with his wife and daughter said ‘I'm grateful beyond words for the donor and his family, who have given me a second chance at life during their own time of great difficulty. I hope the family finds solace in knowing that part of the donor lives on with me.’
He has monthly follow-up appointments in New York and can return to work as a safety manager for high-voltage line workers in future, according to report.