A Canadian man has regained his vision after undergoing a rare and complex procedure that looked like it came straight out of a science fiction movie — a surgery that involved implanting a tooth in his eye, as reported by TODAY.com.
Brent Chapman, 34, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, lost his vision at age 13 after suffering a life-threatening reaction to ibuprofen, which led to Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The condition left his left eye irreversibly blind and severely damaged the cornea in his right eye. Over the next two decades, Chapman tried various procedures, including 10 corneal transplants, in an effort to preserve or restore his vision. However, each attempt failed over time.
“It was very devastating when I would lose that vision again, so we couldn't keep going down that road,” Chapman told TODAY.com.
The damage to the surface of his eye was so severe that, according to his eye surgeon, Dr. Greg Moloney, transplanting a new cornea was “like trying to plant a flower in a desert.” Chapman needed a prosthetic cornea — and his own tooth would serve as the foundation.
The technique, officially known as osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis but informally called “tooth-in-eye surgery,” was developed in the 1960s. It is typically used for patients who are blind in both eyes due to corneal damage but still have healthy optic nerves and retinas. Only a few hundred people globally have undergone the procedure, which is considered a last-resort option.
“It kind of sounded a little science fictiony. I was like, ‘Who thought of this?’ Like this is so crazy,” Chapman said in his interview with TODAY.com.
The operation was conducted in two stages. In February, Dr. Ben Kang, Chapman’s oral surgeon, extracted one of his upper canine teeth. It had to be healthy and robust enough to hold a lens. The tooth was flattened, shaped into a block, and drilled through the center to insert an optical lens. The tooth-lens structure was then implanted under the skin in Chapman’s cheek for several months to allow tissue to grow around it.
In June, Dr. Moloney removed the structure and surgically implanted it into Chapman’s right eye.
“It’s a bridging tissue between the body and the plastic (lens) that focuses the light,” Dr. Moloney explained to TODAY.com. “This is like planting a cactus in the desert. This thing is going to survive and it's going to grow.”
Chapman noticed immediate improvement after the procedure. While he initially saw only hand movements, his vision sharpened over time. “We tried some glasses and I had this moment where I was like, wow, OK, I'm really seeing well now,” he said. “Dr. Moloney and I made eye contact, and it was quite emotional. I hadn't really made eye contact in 20 years. It felt really euphoric. It was really fantastic.”
According to TODAY.com, Moloney estimates Chapman’s vision is now about 20/40 or 20/30 in the operated eye. Chapman wears sunglasses to reduce glare but says the results are life-changing. He can now read, walk without a cane, and has returned to playing basketball.
“Before this surgery, the eye really consumed my life and my family's life,” Chapman said.
Long-term studies show that the implanted lens remains functional in more than 90% of cases after 30 years. Chapman’s chances of maintaining his current vision over that period are estimated at around 50%.
Chapman is one of the first people in Canada to receive the surgery. In the United States, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami is the only center that currently performs the procedure. The first U.S. patient underwent it in 2009.
“It’s a big, big surgery and a big step,” Chapman told TODAY.com. “But it was right for me.”
(With inputs from Today.com)
Brent Chapman, 34, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, lost his vision at age 13 after suffering a life-threatening reaction to ibuprofen, which led to Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The condition left his left eye irreversibly blind and severely damaged the cornea in his right eye. Over the next two decades, Chapman tried various procedures, including 10 corneal transplants, in an effort to preserve or restore his vision. However, each attempt failed over time.
“It was very devastating when I would lose that vision again, so we couldn't keep going down that road,” Chapman told TODAY.com.
The damage to the surface of his eye was so severe that, according to his eye surgeon, Dr. Greg Moloney, transplanting a new cornea was “like trying to plant a flower in a desert.” Chapman needed a prosthetic cornea — and his own tooth would serve as the foundation.
The technique, officially known as osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis but informally called “tooth-in-eye surgery,” was developed in the 1960s. It is typically used for patients who are blind in both eyes due to corneal damage but still have healthy optic nerves and retinas. Only a few hundred people globally have undergone the procedure, which is considered a last-resort option.
“It kind of sounded a little science fictiony. I was like, ‘Who thought of this?’ Like this is so crazy,” Chapman said in his interview with TODAY.com.
The operation was conducted in two stages. In February, Dr. Ben Kang, Chapman’s oral surgeon, extracted one of his upper canine teeth. It had to be healthy and robust enough to hold a lens. The tooth was flattened, shaped into a block, and drilled through the center to insert an optical lens. The tooth-lens structure was then implanted under the skin in Chapman’s cheek for several months to allow tissue to grow around it.
In June, Dr. Moloney removed the structure and surgically implanted it into Chapman’s right eye.
“It’s a bridging tissue between the body and the plastic (lens) that focuses the light,” Dr. Moloney explained to TODAY.com. “This is like planting a cactus in the desert. This thing is going to survive and it's going to grow.”
Chapman noticed immediate improvement after the procedure. While he initially saw only hand movements, his vision sharpened over time. “We tried some glasses and I had this moment where I was like, wow, OK, I'm really seeing well now,” he said. “Dr. Moloney and I made eye contact, and it was quite emotional. I hadn't really made eye contact in 20 years. It felt really euphoric. It was really fantastic.”
According to TODAY.com, Moloney estimates Chapman’s vision is now about 20/40 or 20/30 in the operated eye. Chapman wears sunglasses to reduce glare but says the results are life-changing. He can now read, walk without a cane, and has returned to playing basketball.
“Before this surgery, the eye really consumed my life and my family's life,” Chapman said.
Long-term studies show that the implanted lens remains functional in more than 90% of cases after 30 years. Chapman’s chances of maintaining his current vision over that period are estimated at around 50%.
Chapman is one of the first people in Canada to receive the surgery. In the United States, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami is the only center that currently performs the procedure. The first U.S. patient underwent it in 2009.
“It’s a big, big surgery and a big step,” Chapman told TODAY.com. “But it was right for me.”
(With inputs from Today.com)
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