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Surgeons Implant Man's Tooth In His Eye In Breakthrough Surgery-But How Does It Work?

Surgeons In Canada Implant Man's Tooth In His Eye To Restore Vision-Here's How It Works

However much weird it may sound, a blind Canadian man may soon regain his sight, thanks to his tooth. Brent Chapman, a 33-year-old massage therapist from North Vancouver, recently underwent a groundbreaking surgery, wherein his tooth was used to reverse his blindness. Known as osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP) or "tooth in eye" surgery, it has been successfully conducted in other parts of the world. 

Dr Greg Moloney, an ophthalmologist at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver, led the rare surgery, making Chapman one of the first patients in Canada to undergo this procedure. Speaking to a leading media website, he said that it is a rare operation that most people have never heard of, even eye surgeons. 

<h2>How Is The Tooth In Eye Surgery Conducted?</h2>The OOKP surgery is done in two stages. In the first phase, surgeons remove one of the patient's teeth, usually a canine, and shape it into a small rectangle. Then, they drill a hole to insert a plastic optical lens. The tooth is then temporarily implanted into the patient's cheek for about three months. This is step is done so as to enable the tooth to develop a layer of connective tissue, making it suitable for integration with the eye. According to doctors, this step is pivotal as they would not have anything to insert their suture into when they want to connect it to the eyeball later in the surgery. 

Meanwhile, the eye is also prepared for the final step. Doctors remove the top layer of the eye's surface and replace it with a graft of soft tissue taken from the inside of the cheek. Once healed, the second phase of the procedure begins. The tooth-lens structure is carefully removed from the cheek and placed inside the patient's eye, replacing the damaged cornea. The graft is then repositioned over the eye, leaving a small opening for the lens to provide vision.

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Speaking to The Daily Scan, Dr Monoley said that (teeth) contains dentin, which is the ideal tissue to house a plastic lens without the body rejecting it. For Chapman, this surgery represents a beacon of hope after years of unsuccessful treatments. As per NYPost, his blindness stems from Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare autoimmune reaction triggered by a dose of ibuprofen (a drug to cure fever, inflammation and pain) he took at the age of 13. Over the past two decades, he has undergone 50 surgeries—some of which briefly restored partial sight—only for its effects to fade, causing depression. 

Though the surgery carries risks—including the potential for infection or complications—it has a high success rate. A 2022 study in Italy found that 94% of patients retained their vision even 27 years after the procedure. Dr Moloney has successfully performed seven OOKP surgeries in Australia. If Chapman's and other patients’ surgeries go well, his team plans to seek <span>Health Canada</span>’s approval to expand the program. His end goal is to establish Canada's first dedicated clinic for the procedure

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However much weird it may sound, a blind Canadian man may soon regain his sight, thanks to his tooth. Brent Chapman, a 33-year-old massage therapist from North Vancouver, recently underwent a groundbreaking surgery, wherein his tooth was used to reverse his blindness. Known as osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP) or "tooth in eye" surgery, it has been successfully conducted in other parts of the world. Dr Greg Moloney, an ophthalmologist at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver, led the rare surgery, making Chapman one of the first patients in Canada to undergo this procedure. Speaking to a leading media website, he said that it is a rare operation that most people have never heard of, even eye surgeons. How Is The Tooth In Eye Surgery Conducted?The OOKP surgery is done in two stages. In the first phase, surgeons remove one of the patient's teeth, usually a canine, and shape it into a small rectangle. Then, they drill a hole to insert a plastic optical lens. The tooth is then temporarily implanted into the patient's cheek for about three months. This is step is done so as to enable the tooth to develop a layer of connective tissue, making it suitable for integration with the eye. According to doctors, this step is pivotal as they would not have anything to insert their suture into when they want to connect it to the eyeball later in the surgery. Meanwhile, the eye is also prepared for the final step. Doctors remove the top layer of the eye's surface and replace it with a graft of soft tissue taken from the inside of the cheek. Once healed, the second phase of the procedure begins. The tooth-lens structure is carefully removed from the cheek and placed inside the patient's eye, replacing the damaged cornea. The graft is then repositioned over the eye, leaving a small opening for the lens to provide vision.ALSO READ: This Low Impact Exercise Can Help Prevent Bladder LeaksBut Why Teeth?Speaking to The Daily Scan, Dr Monoley said that (teeth) contains dentin, which is the ideal tissue to house a plastic lens without the body rejecting it. For Chapman, this surgery represents a beacon of hope after years of unsuccessful treatments. As per NYPost, his blindness stems from Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare autoimmune reaction triggered by a dose of ibuprofen (a drug to cure fever, inflammation and pain) he took at the age of 13. Over the past two decades, he has undergone 50 surgeries—some of which briefly restored partial sight—only for its effects to fade, causing depression. Though the surgery carries risks—including the potential for infection or complications—it has a high success rate. A 2022 study in Italy found that 94% of patients retained their vision even 27 years after the procedure. Dr Moloney has successfully performed seven OOKP surgeries in Australia. If Chapman's and other patients’ surgeries go well, his team plans to seek Health Canada’s approval to expand the program. His end goal is to establish Canada's first dedicated clinic for the procedure

surgeons in canada implant man's tooth in his eye to restore vision-here's how it works

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