The patient who received the transplant was Aaron James from Arkansas, a power company linesman. He suffered a work-related, high-voltage, electrical accident in June of 2021, that damaged the left side of his face, nose, mouth, and eye.

The transplant surgery was done six months ago, on May 27, 2023. The transplant surgery took 21 hours at New York University, Langone Health.

The whole eye transplant may only provide cosmetic benefits, this is a remarkable achievement. The surgery opens the possibility of restoring the appearance, and even sight after a disfiguring accident like the one that happened to Mr. James. Medicine is on the verge of being able to achieve eye transplants and vision restoration also transplanted were the eye socket and the eyelid. This transplant is the first attempt at injecting adult stem cells into a human optic nerve to try to regenerate it.

James’ transplanted eye does not have any sight now. However, his transplanted eye has shown remarkable signs of health. Normal ocular pressure, direct blood flow and oxygen to the retina, and may be capable of transmitting signals to the brain. It is still unknown whether James will eventually regain sight.

Sources:
www.reuters.com
www.langone.org
www.scientificamerican.com
www.NBCNewYork.com

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