One year after a successful whole-eye transplant, recipient Aaron James still can't see anything. We still don't understand why.
Aaron James was 45 when the Arkansan linesman lost half his face and an arm in a high-voltage accident. A year ago he was given a new eye, which maintains healthy pressure and blood flow while connected to the optic nerve. The operation, a marathon 21-hour surgery involving 140 specialists, marked a world first. But it still hasn't helped him see.
The operation avoided shrinkage, a common problem in animal eye transplants. Surgeons also skillfully preserved blood supply, a major hurdle given the optic nerve’s 1.2 million intricate connections.
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