James Aaron (Aaron James)

James Aaron (Aaron James)

History

2024: Successful whole eye transplant along with part of the face

In mid-September 2024, successful results of the world's first complete transplantation of the eye and part of the face were published. The surgical team at NYU Langone Health performed the surgery in May 2023, when Army veteran Aaron James, 46, who survived the shock, was on the operating table. A year later, the doctors noted a significant improvement in the wound surface and reported that the patient returned to daily life.

Notably, normal intraocular pressure and blood flow were maintained in the transplanted donor eye, whereas in experiments in animal models, the transplanted eye was often significantly reduced in size. Although the transplanted eye did not restore visual function, electroretinography revealed a photoreceptor response to light, meaning the retina successfully underwent surgery. The reaction of rods and cones converts light into nerve signals that the brain can ultimately interpret for vision, that is, a successful transplant of an entire eye with a retina gives hope for the use of similar operations in the future, including for the restoration of vision.

The paper reports that the operation lasted 21 an hour, and during the intervention, doctors used innovative microsurgical methods, customized surgical devices and cell therapy. The procedure also included the world's first injection of stem cells into the human optic nerve during transplantation to improve nerve regeneration. The group of surgeons noted that combined transplantation of the entire eye and part of the face is complex, but this approach allows for the restoration of important functions.

However, after a year, the donor eye still did not see light, and noticeable damage to the optic nerve led to the loss of part of the retinal tissue as the eye engrafted. More research is needed to derive more definite conclusions, the authors note.^[1]

Notes