In May 2023, power line worker Aaron James underwent the first partial face transplant, including an eye. A year after the surgery, there are no signs of rejection and blood flow to the transplanted eye is good. However, James I can’t see out of my eyesThe announcement was made by a medical team from New York University Langone Health on September 9th. Journal of the American Medical AssociationThe neural connections from the eyes are weakening.
Tests to evaluate the eye’s ability to respond to light showed a slight reaction, but the medical team noted that this does not mean that his vision will be restored. James has no feeling on the surface of his eye, and his eyelids will remain closed. He will be on immunosuppressants for the rest of his life.
Eye transplants have long been proposed as a potential solution to blindness, but experts say there are many obstacles to trying to restore vision this way. One big hurdle is regenerating the neural connections from retinal cells to the brain’s visual processing centers. These connections are Does not regenerate even if injured.
James suffered a high-voltage electrical injury in 2021, resulting in damage to his left eye, nose, lips, and most of his facial tissue. A suitable cadaveric donor was identified in May 2023. The transplant surgery took 21 hours. James reported a significant improvement in his quality of life in the first year.
