New York surgeons perform world's first eye transplant

New York surgeons claim to have given a man the first ever total eye transplant, though it's unclear if he will see again.

Surgeons have been able to successfully transplant corneas for years. Aaron James, who survived a high-voltage electrical accident, underwent 21 hours of surgery during which half of his face was replaced. Experts have referred to the discovery as a turning point in the effort to help millions of people regain their sight. The majority of Mr James's face was lost in 2021 when his high-voltage utility line from Arkansas unintentionally touched a 7,200-volt live wire. In addition to the eye transplant, he had a rare partial face transplant on May 27, this year, involving over 140 medical specialists.

The intricate procedure was carried out by surgeons at NYU Langone Health, who reported on Thursday that Mr. James, 46, was making a full recovery from the dual transplant and that the donated eye appeared exceptionally healthy. Right eye is still functional.

“The mere fact that we’ve accomplished the first successful whole-eye transplant with a face is a tremendous feat many have long thought was not possible,” said Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, one of the leading surgeons on the team. “We’ve made one major step forward and have paved the way for the next chapter to restore vision.

Doctors say James’ surgery offers scientists an unprecedented window into how the human eye tries to heal. We’re not claiming that we are going to restore sight,” Dr Rodriguez told ABC News. “But there’s no doubt in my mind we are one step closer.

The retina is the portion of the eye that transmits images to the brain, and doctors reported that there was direct blood flow to it. Doctors do not completely rule out the possibility that Mr. James will regain vision in his new eye, but they also cannot guarantee it.

“If I can see out of it, that’s great,” Mr James said in an interview. “But if it’ll kick-start the next path in the medical field, then I’m all for it.”

Although Mr James, a veteran of the military, will still be under close medical observation, Bruce E. Gelb, MD, a transplant surgeon at New York University, describes the eye's development as "exceptional."

One male donor, in his 30s, provided the donated eye and face. In order to promote the optic nerve's healing during surgery, adult stem cells from the donor's bone marrow were injected. Mr. James is only the 19th person to receive a face transplant in the United States.

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