2023-11-11 07:00:04
A medical team from New York Langone University Hospital (NYU) has successfully performed the world’s first complete eye transplant, marking a significant advancement in the field of facial and eye transplantation. The announcement was made during a press conference on Thursday, November 9, five months following the historic intervention carried out on Aaron James, a 46-year-old former American soldier from Arkansas.
Image NYU
The tragic accident in June 2021 led to the loss of his left eye, his nose, his mouth, part of his chin, his teeth, and his left arm, following being electrocuted more than of 7,000 volts when working on a high voltage line (The high voltage line is the main component of large transport networks…). Supervised by Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, plastic surgeon and head of the facial transplant program at NYU, the ambitious project mobilized 140 health professionals (The health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and does not consist of…), all professions combined.
This pioneering transplant, which combines partial face and whole eye transplantation, represents a remarkable advance in the field of reconstructive medicine. Until now, only 48 face transplants have been recorded in the world (The word world can refer to:) since the first one carried out in France in 2005. But these transplants only included a partial transplant of an eye. Whole eye transplants have always been a challenge, due to the difficulty in reconnecting the optic nerve to restore vision.
The procedure, which lasted approximately 21 hours and required two operating rooms, allowed the transplantation of the nose, lips, and other facial tissues, as well as the left eye and its orbit (In mechanics celestial, an orbit is the trajectory that a body draws in space…) and the optic nerve. CD34 stem cells from the donor’s bone marrow were also injected to promote regeneration of the optic nerve.
Image NYU
Aaron James, the patient, has recovered well physically and can now live normally with his family in Arkansas. However, despite signs of good health in the transplanted eye, vision was not restored. Aaron James continues to attend follow-up appointments in New York every month and must take immunosuppressive treatments to prevent the rejection of grafts.
Scientists involved in this significant breakthrough point out that although sight has not yet been restored, the operation has paved the way for future research and development in vision restoration. The challenges of restoring information transmission to the brain via the optic nerve will likely require exploring different methods. such as gene therapy, the use of stem cells, and electrical stimulation to prepare the recipient’s brain.
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