Eye for an eye or tooth for an eye? The vision of three Canadians was recently restored using an unprecedented technique in the American country: the surgery “tooth in the eye”, which has been very successful in other countries.
The procedure, known in the middle as osteo-dental-oratoprothesisresorts to the patient’s own tooth to create a personalized lens implant for people who suffer from Severe blindness of the corneawhere only the surface of the eye is damaged, leaving the retina and optic nerves intact – a disease often caused by conjunctival scars.
The tooth (usually a canine) is transformed into a lens enclosure, which is then implanted in the patient’s eye to restore vision. Tooth material, one of the strongest substances in the body, reduces the risk of rejection associated with strange implants.
One of the patients recently healed by the procedure lost vision at age 13 due to a rare autoimmune reaction to a medication. Over the years he has undergone more than 50 unsuccessful surgeries – so far.
The procedure consists of several steps, as explained. First, surgeons harvest a tooth, shape it in a rectangular layer and make a hole. A small telescopic lens is placed inside the tooth wrapping. Then the tooth is temporarily sewn into the patient’s cheek for several months to allow the fabric to grow around it.
When the tissue integrates, a second surgery removes the scar tissue from the eye and replaces it with healthy tissue, also taken from the cheek. Finally, the implant is placed in the eye cavity, where it helps restore partial vision.
The method is not new, however. The early 60’s was developed by the Italian ophthalmologist Benedetto Strampellibut has been little used over the years.
Although surgery leads to some risks, it has a high success rate in the 10 countries where it was performed: an Italian 2022 performed concluded that 94% of patients kept their view even 27 years after surgery.
