An Arkansas military veteran has become the first patient in the world to have someone else’s eye transplanted after a near-fatal electrical accident.
Aaron James, 46, miraculously survived a 7,200-volt electric shock when his face accidentally hit high-voltage wiring in 2021.
The accident left him with serious injuries to his left arm, nose, lips, front teeth, left cheek and chin. His eye also had to be removed.
In May, a team of 140 surgeons, nurses and other healthcare professionals from NYU Langone in New York City performed a 21-hour eye and partial face transplant, the first surgery of its kind.
Until now, eye transplantation was thought impossible because of the complex network of nerves and blood vessels that connect the eye to the brain.
Doctors have now said it is possible the father-of-one could see through the transplanted eye.
Aaron James, 46, becomes the first patient in the world to have someone else’s eye transplanted after a near-fatal electrical accident
Dr. Eduardo D Rodriguez (right), lead surgeon and director of the Face Transplant Program at NYU Langone, led the 21-hour operation
Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, lead surgeon and director of the Face Transplant Program at NYU Langone, said, “The simple fact that we have performed the first successful full-face eye transplant is a monumental achievement that many long thought was not possible. ‘
“We have taken a big step forward and paved the way for the next chapter to restore the vision.”
Dr. Rodriguez’s team learned of Mr. James’ injury just two months after the accident, and doctors discussed the possibility of a face transplant with his care team in Texas over the next year.
Mr. James’ left eye was removed due to severe pain, leading Dr. Rodriguez to consider an eye transplant.
“Since Aaron required a face transplant and will be on immunosuppressants anyway, the risk-benefit ratio of an eye transplant was very low,” Dr. Rodriguez said.
‘Despite the eye being successfully transplanted, it would still be a remarkable achievement from a cosmetic point of view.’
Mr. James has been able to return to Arkansas with his wife Meagan and daughter Allie (pictured here)
Mr James (pictured with his wife Meagan) spent just 17 days in intensive care
Mr James waited just three months for a donor, a man in his 30s. The donor had also given his kidneys, liver and pancreas to patients between the ages of 20 and 70.
“I am incredibly grateful to the donor and his family, who gave me a second chance at life in their own time of great difficulty. I hope the family finds comfort in knowing that part of the donor lives on with me,” Mr James said.
In May, Dr. Rodriguez and a team of 140 people began the 21-hour operation, which took place in two operating rooms. One team was in the room with Mr James and removed parts of the face that needed to be replaced, while another dissected the donor’s face and eyeball.
The biggest challenge was connecting the eye to the optic nerve, a part of the central nervous system that transmits visual information to the brain, helping the nerves regenerate over time.
The team did this by combining the donor eye with adult stem cells from the donor’s bone marrow. These cells were injected into the optic nerve in the hopes of helping the nerves regenerate and ultimately restore vision.
Dr. Samer Al-Homsi, executive director of NYU Langone’s Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Center, said: “This is the first attempt to inject adult stem cells into a human optic nerve during a transplant, in the hope of improving nerve regeneration.”
Although Mr James cannot yet see out of sight, the team said this could be possible in the future.
‘We have now shown that the procedure is safe and potentially effective, but we need time to determine whether this step plays a role in increasing the chance of vision recovery and whether anything can be done in the future to optimize the procedure. said Doctor Al-Homsi.
Mr. James spent just 17 days in intensive care, one of the shortest recoveries that Dr. Rodriguez has ever seen. In July, he was discharged and sent to outpatient rehabilitation.
In September, James was able to return home to Arkansas with his wife Meagan and daughter Allie.
He plans to undergo dental treatment in the coming months.
Dr. Bruce Gelb, transplant surgeon at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, said: ‘The progress we have seen with the eye is exceptional, especially considering that five months after the procedure we have a viable cornea, combined with a retina that allows good blood flow. shows. ‘
“This far exceeds our initial expectations, as we initially hoped the eye would survive for at least 90 days.”
“We will continue to monitor and I’m curious to see what else we can learn over time.”