Surgeons Perform the World's First Eye Transplant

Where was the world’s first eye transplant performed?

Surgeons in the United States gave a 46-year-old military veteran named Aaron James an eye transplant. Mr. James used to work with electricity, and in June 2021, he faced a severe electric shock that hurt his face and body.

The accident was so serious that Mr. James suffered many injuries to his face and body, and his organs started failing. Doctors had to put him into a deep coma for six weeks, and they didn't know if he would survive. But in 2023, a man who had donated his eyes and body tissues passed away. The doctors used his eye and body tissue to do a face and eye transplant for Mr. James.

Mr. James is now the 19th person in the US to get a new face this way, and he's the first person in the whole world to have an eye transplant. This is a really important moment in the history of medicine!

Were there any risks involved in the eye transplant surgery?

Doctors told Mr. James that getting a new eye was risky. They said it could cause infections or problems with the brain and nerves because the eye is connected to them.

Even with these risks, Mr. James chose to have an eye transplant. He believed that even if it didn't make him see again, the doctors could learn important things to help others later.

Not many eye transplants have been done because it's tough to make the part that connects the eye to the brain (the optic nerve) grow back completely. Doctors say this could take a long time, maybe months or even years.

During Mr. James' eye transplant, doctors did something new. They put stem cells into the optic nerve to help it heal. Since this hasn't been done before, the doctors aren't sure if it will work, but they really hope it does!

Did the eye transplant work for Mr. James?

Mr. James has a new eye, but he can't see with it now. The doctors say the eye looks healthy, and tests show that the cells in the eye that detect light are working and sending signals to the brain.

Even though he can't see with the new eye, Mr. James is grateful. He thanks the person who gave the eye and their family. Now, he's happy to look like everyone else when he's walking around.