Image Credit: Daniel Boczar
In a groundbreaking medical feat, a team of surgeons in New York, United States, has successfully conducted the first-ever whole eye transplant on a human. The recipient, Aaron James, a 46-year-old who survived a severe work-related electrical accident, had lost the left side of his face, nose, mouth, and left eye. Unlike previous procedures limited to corneal transplants, this 21-hour surgery at NYU Langone Health involved injecting adult stem cells from the donor's bone marrow into the optic nerve to encourage healing. Six months post-surgery, the grafted eye displays positive signs of health, but communication with the brain is yet to be established.
Lead surgeon Eduardo Rodriguez expressed the significance of this milestone, stating that even without restored vision, the transplantation of a viable eye globe opens new possibilities for future advancements in vision restoration. The team remains optimistic about ongoing research into connecting nerve networks to sightless eyes through electrode insertion
