Scientists remove teeth to implant them in eyes and restore sight

It's called 'osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis', a surgical procedure that works miracles!

This surgery allows blind people to regain their sight. However, it should be noted that osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis must be performed on patients who have lost their sight due to significant corneal dysfunction, but whose other parts of the eye, such as the optic nerves and the retina, remain healthy, according to the Futura-sciences website.

The principle?

During this surgery, doctors extract one of the patient's teeth to create a bony support onto which a corneal prosthesis, this part of the eye that helps us to see, will be fixed. This serves as a sturdy base for the prosthesis, which is subsequently integrated into the eye.

In Canada

Three blind Canadian patients underwent this procedure at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, Canada, last February. According to The Vancouver Sun, the second part of the intervention was planned for May. These three Canadians are expected to regain their vision a month after the operation.

This technique has the considerable advantage of involving little or no risk of rejection, as tissues from the patient's own body are used during the operation. And, according to a 2022 study published in The American Journal of Ophthalmology, the success rate is remarkable: 94% of implant recipients maintain their vision after 27 years, reports Futura-sciences.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: Futura-sciences - Illustration: ©Unsplash)