Aaron James (left) with Doctor Eduardo D Rodriguez
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, New York University Langone Health conducted the world’s first complete eye and partial face transplant for a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas, Aaron James. The surgery, which lasted 21 hours, replaced fifty percent of his facial structure following his survival of a high-voltage electrical accident.
As per a release by the hospital, the procedure involved transplanting the entire left eye and a portion of the face from a single donor. This marked the first human whole-eye transplant in medical history and the only successful combined transplant case of its kind.
The outcome of regaining vision in his newly transplanted left eye is still uncertain.
The medical team at NYU Langone Health also dedicated efforts to improve the appearance of his new face through structural support provided to the transplanted eye socket and eyelid.
The surgery, conducted on May 27, involved a team of over 140 surgeons, nurses, and healthcare professionals at NYU Langone, led by Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez.
“Aaron has been extremely motivated to regain the function and independence he lost after his injury. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect patient,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “We owe much of our success in this monumental endeavor to the exceptional institutional support we receive at NYU Langone and the unwavering dedication of our world-class team in delivering the highest level of care to our patients. This achievement demonstrates our capacity to embrace the most difficult challenges and drive continuous advancements in the field of transplantation and beyond.”
This groundbreaking milestone paves the way for new opportunities in the development of future breakthroughs in vision therapies and other related fields of medicine.
