Fifteen months after undergoing the world's first whole-eye and partial face transplant at NYU Langone Health, a 46-year-old Arkansas resident has achieved recovery with no episodes of tissue rejection.
The patient, Aaron James, survived a 7,200-volt electrical accident at work "with catastrophic tissue loss to his face," according to a study published Sept. 9 in JAMA. On May 27, 2023, more than 140 healthcare workers at NYU Langone performed a 21-hour surgery on Mr. James.
The transplanted donor eye has maintained normal pressure and blood flow, but vision in that eye has not returned, according to a Sept. 9 news release from the New York City-based system.
Tests have shown a photoreceptor response, though, indicating the rods and cones survived the transplant — which "[gives] hope for the future of whole-eye transplants with an aim to restore sight," the release said.
It was the first procedure to attempt to inject stem cells into a human optic nerve during a transplant, the system said, adding that NYU Langone will turn next to preserving nerve cells in the eye during the transplant process, which might help restore vision.