In the six months since the surgery, performed during a partial face transplant, the grafted eye has shown important signs of health, including well-functioning blood vessels and a promising-looking retina, according to the surgical team at NYU Langone Health.
Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the team said the eye transplant is a "huge step forward, something that for centuries has been thought about, but it’s never been performed”.
The recipient of the eye survived a work-related high-voltage electrical accident that destroyed the left side of his face, his nose, his mouth and his left eye. The transplant surgery took 21 hours.
