A team of surgeons in New York has performed the world’s first transplant of an entire eye in a procedure widely hailed as a medical breakthrough, although it is not yet known whether the man will ever see through the donated eye.
The groundbreaking surgery involved removing part of the face and the whole left eye — including its blood supply and optic nerve — of a donor and grafting them onto a lineworker from Arkansas who survived a 7,200-volt electric shock in June 2021.
Aaron James, 46, suffered extensive injuries including the loss of his left eye, his dominant left arm above the elbow, his nose and lips, front teeth, left cheek area and chin.
Photo: Joe Carrota, NYU Langone Health via AFP
He was referred to NYU Langone Health, a leading medical center for facial transplants, which carried out the procedure on May 27.
Transplanting an entire eye has long been a holy grail of medical science, and though researchers have had some success in animals — where they have restored partial vision — it has never before been performed in a living person.
“It’s uncharted territory, but we’re looking forward to the exploration,” Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the surgery, said.
It was Rodriguez’ fifth face transplant, and “we’ve been able to trim the time from where I started in 2012 from 36 hours to now 21,” he said, adding that face transplants are no longer an experimental procedure and should be considered “standard of care” in certain cases of severe disfigurement.
The transplanted left eye appears very healthy, retinal ophthalmologist Vaidehi Dedania said.
It has a good blood supply, is maintaining its pressure, and is generating an electrical signal, though James is not yet able to see. “But we have a lot of hope,” Dedania added.
“This is a huge deal,” said Kia Washington, a professor of surgery at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus who has been working in the same field for 15 years.
Daniel Pelaez of the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, who has also been working toward the same goal, said: “The transplantation of a human eye at NYU Langone represents a pivotal moment in our common quest to restore sight and offers hope to countless individuals around the world.”
James, whose right eye remains intact, was considered an ideal candidate because his need for a facial transplant meant he would require immunosuppressive drugs regardless. This meant attempting an eye transplant would be worthwhile even if it conferred only cosmetic value.
“I can smell again, I can eat again, taste food. For the first time in a year and a half, I got to kiss my wife,” James said in an interview. “I want to go out in public now and not wear a mask and cover up.”
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