The first transplant of an entire eye performed in New York: “Exceptional progress”
For the first time, a whole eye transplant was performed. This was announced by doctors at the NYU Langone Health center in New York.
“The fact that we have transplanted an eye is a huge step forward, it is something that has been thought about for centuries but has never been done,” said Eduardo Rodriguez, the doctor leading the team that conducted the operation, lasted 21 hours. The recipient of the transplant was Aaron James, a veteran from Arkansas who survived an industrial accident.
The operation for the partial transplant of the face and the entire eye took place on May 27th. The surgeons who performed the operation said yesterday that James is recovering well from the double transplant and that his new eye is in excellent condition. According to doctors, it is not excluded that James could regain his sight. For now, surgeon Bruce E. Gelb has called the progress “exceptional.” “We’re not saying we’re going to be able to restore vision,” Dr. Rodriguez told ABC News. “But I have no doubt that we have taken a step forward.”
Aaron James, who survived a 7,200-volt electric shock while working as a lineman in June 2021, recently received the world’s first whole-eye and partial face transplant at NYU Langone Health, providing him a new sense of normalcy.
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“If I get to see each other, it will be great,” James said. “But if this gives rise to other medical studies, that will be absolutely fine with me.” The man was injured in 2021 when, while working as an electrical maintenance worker in Oklahoma, he inadvertently touched a high voltage cable. The shock had disfigured his face, with extensive damage to his left eye, lips, nose and left limb. The surgery “changed his life”, he said in an interview with NBC, in which he said he was “incredibly grateful” to the donor and his family for making the operation possible.
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