Rare Tooth-in-Eye Surgery Helps Man Regain Sight After 20 Years

A Canadian man who lost his eyesight at the age of 13 due to an adverse reaction to a painkiller is now able to see again after undergoing a rare surgery that used a tooth to implant a lens in his cornea. Thirty-four-year-old Brent Chapman from North Vancouver suffered Stevens-Johnson syndrome – the condition that made him lose vision in both eyes. Despite spending years pursuing treatments, Brent did not achieve any success. But with the help of Dr Greg Moloney, clinical associate professor of corneal surgery at the University of British Columbia, Brent's sight was restored. “For the last 20 years, I’ve been having close to 50 surgeries trying to save this eye, most of them cornea transplants,” Chapman said of his right eye. “We would put a new

cornea in. It would last sometimes just a few months or even up to years, but it would just kind of never heal,” he told CNN in an interview after the successful surgery.After his surgery, Chapman has been fitted with new glasses and can see everything clearly. “It’s really indescribable, to be able to see the whole city and how there’s a whole world that’s just intersecting. When you’re blind or low-vision, you’re not seeing that, and you’re kind of in your head more. There’s a lot more mental chatter, and it can be difficult,” Chapman said. “Dr Moloney and I made eye contact for the first time, and we both got quite emotional. I haven’t really made eye contact in 20 years,” he added.

What is the tooth-in-eye surgery?

Also known as osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, or OOKP, the tooth-in-eye surgery helps restore sight to people with severe damage to the cornea. It is usually done when regular corneal transplants do not work. For this surgery, doctors remove the damaged part of the cornea, which is then covered with tissue taken from the inside of the patient's cheek – creating a healthy base. Then they remove a tooth – preferably a canine along with a small piece of bone – shape it up, and it is placed under the skin of the cheek for several months along with a lens to make it develop its own blood supply. After it heals, the implant is moved into the eye, where it helps regain vision. According to doctors, since the graft comes from the patient's body, the risk of rejection is very low. Doctors say they use a tooth for the implant, as they have dentine – the hardest substance your body produces, making it the ideal casing to bridge the plastic lens and the patient's eye. However, according to experts, the procedure is not a cure-all for every vision problem, as it is specifically meant for those with severe corneal blindness in the front of the eyes caused by conjunctival scarring from autoimmune diseases, chemical burns, and other traumas, but who still have healthy retinas and optic nerves in the back of their eyes. Since Brent's surgeries were pretty intensive, he underwent two surgeries, several months apart. Finally, they implant the tooth-encased lens inside the cheek so that it can grow new tissue around it.

The procedure is not risk-free

According to experts, the surgery, especially in the eyes, does have a chance of heightened infection, which makes it dangerous and delicate. According to studies, on average, 27 years after surgery, 94 per cent of the patients can still see.