A group of surgeons from the United States achieved an unprecedented operation.
For the first time a complete eye transplant was performed in a man who lost his left eye after an accident with power lines.
The procedure took place in New York on May 27 and was part of a face replacement that required the participation of 140 professionals Of the health.
The patient, Aaron James, 46 years old, spent 21 hours in surgery. This Thursday, the team of surgeons said that James is recovering satisfactorily.
Doctors still don’t know if James will regain his vision, but they say is a crucial advance in the search to cure the eye problems of millions of people in the world.
Medicine had only managed to transplant corneas, something that has been done successfully for years.
“We have paved the way”
James, a public power utility worker in Arkansas, lost most of his face when he accidentally touched a 7,200-volt power line in 2021.
Surgeons at NYU Langone Health, who performed the complicated surgery, said Thursday that the man has responded well to the double transplant and that the Donated eye appeared healthy. His right eye has no complications.
“The mere fact that we have achieved the first successful transplant of a complete eye with a face is a tremendous feat that many had thought for a long time was not possible,” said doctor Eduardo Rodríguez, one of the team’s main surgeons.
“We have given a big step forward and we have paved the way for the next chapter of vision restoration,” he added.
The world’s first eye transplant is described by doctors as “a great step forward.” (Photo: REUTERS)
Doctors say James’ surgery offers scientists an unprecedented window into how the human eye tries to heal itself.
“We are not claiming that we are going to restore sight,” Rodríguez told ABC News. “But I have no doubt that we are one step closer.”
Experts said James had direct blood flow to the retina, the part of the eye that sends images to the brain. Although there is no certainty that he will recover his vision, this possibility is not ruled out.
“A change of life”
“If I can see through it, that would be great.”James said. “But if it’s just a push for the next step in the medical field, I’m all for it.”
James, a U.S. Army veteran, will continue to be monitored by doctors, but the progress they have seen in the eye is “exceptional,” says Bruce E. Gelb, a transplant surgeon at New York University.
The face and eye came from a male donor in his 30s. During surgery, doctors injected adult stem cells of the donor’s bone marrow into the optic nerve to promote its repair.
James is the 19th person in the US to undergo a face transplant.
His wife, Megan James, told CNN that seeing him after the procedure “was a crazy, cool, weird, strange, feeling of ecstasy and happiness“.
James called the transplant “life-changing.” (Photo: REUTERS)
“I’m happy because he made it and everything is fine right now,” the woman said.
After the accident, James had to have his left eye removed because he was in so much pain. He has undergone numerous surgeries, including a prosthetic arm.
He has called the eye transplant “life-changing” and is grateful to the donor and his family.
Keep reading:
* They successfully transplant genetically modified pig kidneys into a human
* This is the new and controversial technique to revive organs and use them in transplants
* “A stranger I met on the beach donated her kidney to me”
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2023-11-10 19:13:27
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