Man receives entire eye transplant after surviving high-voltage electric jolt

09 November 2023 , 22:30

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Aaron James, 46, spent two years hiding from his own reflection (Image: AP)

An electrical lineman who lost an eye after enduring a high-voltage shock underwent the first successful whole eye transplant by NYU surgeons marking a significant advancement in modern medicine.

Military veteran Aaron James, 46, of Hot Spring Village, Arkansas said he is grateful for the operation, even though he can't see out of the transplanted eye. “You’ve got to start somewhere, and hopefully this will get the ball rolling on future surgeries,” he said. In 2021, The Arkansas native fortunately survived a deadly electric shock while working as a high-voltage lineman.

Aaron's face accidentally came in contact with a live wire resulting in a devastating shock that disintegrated the left side of his face, along with his left arm, to the bone.

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The eye transplant was an extremely experimental procedure that involved stem cells (AP)

He lost his left eye, nose and lips. It would be two years before the survivor would undergo extensive facial reconstruction surgery. The lineman, a once handsome, bearded man, could barely look himself in the eye. The scar tissue covering his cheek, a closed bump where his nose used to be, and the small hole that remained of his mouth repulsed him.

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In May, Aaron endured 21 hours of surgery that called on the medical prowess of more than 140 surgeons, nurses, and other health experts. Medical professionals replaced his eye and performed a partial face transplant, which is an infrequent procedure—fewer than 50 face transplants have been performed globally since the first in 2005, according to NBC.

The procedure required the expertise of more than 140 medical professionals (NYU Langone Health/AFP via Getty)

Luck was seemingly on Aaron's side. The donated face and eye came from a single donor. Furthermore, the organ was in pristine condition as it was never removed from the donor's socket meaning the surrounding tissue and optimal nerve were intact. Surgeons put a fair amount of leg work into the procedure.

Blood vessels that surround the eye are tiny, which makes it difficult for doctors to attach enough for sufficient blood flow. Reattaching the optic nerve is no easy task either. Medical professionals also utilized adult stem cells in the operation, injecting them into Aaron's optic nerve to encourage the production of healthy new cells.

Aaron said he is grateful the operation succeeded, even though he can't see out of his new eye (AP)

The procedure seemed to be a success as Aaron's new eye is thriving five months later. Doctors told him there is a steady blood flow to his retina, which is the part in the back of the eye that converts light into the electric signals the brain turns into pictures.

“Although there is no sight, we’ve crossed a barrier that many didn’t think was possible,” said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, the director of the Face Transplant Program at NYU Langone, who led the surgery. “Nothing like this has ever been attempted. There isn’t even any science published in the literature that could indicate what could be the result of such a transplant.”

Mataeo Smith