A Medical Breakthrough: Restoring Vision Through Unconventional Surgery
A groundbreaking medical procedure has enabled a man to regain his sight after two decades of blindness. The surgery, known as tooth-in-eye or osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, involved implanting a patient’s own tooth into his eye. This rare and complex operation has offered a new lease on life for someone who had endured years of failed treatments and surgeries.
The Journey to Recovery
Brent Chapman, now 34, suffered a severe reaction to ibuprofen during a basketball game when he was just 13 years old. The incident led to burns across his body, including his eyes, and left him in a coma for 27 days. He lost his left eye due to infection and suffered significant vision loss in his right eye. Over the next 20 years, he underwent nearly 50 surgeries, mostly cornea transplants, but none provided lasting results.
“I’ve been having close to 50 surgeries trying to save this eye, most of them cornea transplants,” Chapman said. “We would put a new cornea in. It would last sometimes just a few months or even up to years, but it would just kind of never heal.”
The Rare Procedure That Changed Everything
Dr. Greg Moloney, a clinical associate professor of corneal surgery at the University of British Columbia, successfully restored Chapman’s vision using a rare procedure that involved implanting a canine tooth from his own jaw into his eye. The surgery is considered a last resort for patients whose eyes have rejected standard corneal transplants.
“This is a situation where a standard corneal transplant simply won’t work,” said Dr. Vicente Diaz, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual science at the Yale School of Medicine. “It’s a highly specialized procedure performed by only a handful of specialists worldwide.”
How the Surgery Works
The procedure involves extracting a canine tooth along with a thin layer of bone that provides support and blood supply. The tooth is then shaved into a 4 millimeter-thick block and drilled to hold a plastic optical cylinder. This structure is implanted into the patient’s cheek or eyelid for several months, allowing soft tissue to grow around it.
Once integrated, the tooth-lens complex is surgically attached to the front of the eye, replacing the damaged cornea’s function. Tissue from inside the patient’s mouth is used to cover the tooth part of the device, giving the new eye a pink shade. Light can then pass through the clear lens to the retina, enabling vision again.
A New Chapter in Life
Chapman’s tooth was extracted in February, and the structure was placed into his eye in June. His last surgery, which straightened the lens to correct visual distortion, took place in August. After the procedure, he was fitted with glasses and now has 20/30 vision, meaning he can see details at a distance of 20 feet that a person with perfect vision can see at 30 feet.
The first thing he saw after his surgery was the skyline from Dr. Moloney’s 16th-floor office. “It’s really indescribable, to be able to see the whole city and how there’s a whole world that’s just intersecting,” Chapman said.
Emotional Impact and Future Plans
For Chapman, regaining his vision has meant more than just seeing the world again—it has brought back the ability to connect with others. “I haven’t really made eye contact in 20 years,” he said. “Dr. Moloney and I made eye contact for the first time, and we both got quite emotional.”
Before the surgery, Chapman was close to giving up hope. “We definitely didn’t have any more options,” he said. “This opened a new door for me and a new chapter in my life.”
He is now looking forward to traveling, particularly to Japan, and wants to “just see the world and take it all in.” His favorite sight? His niece and nephew, whom he describes as “so cute and so much fun.”
A New Lease on Life
Chapman is also excited about returning to work as a massage therapist. “I’ve had a lot of time off work in the last couple of years with surgeries. I can give back and help people in pain and not make everything about me,” he said.
Above all, he is excited to dream again and to no longer be limited by the instability of his condition. “Before, I would always be afraid to plan because I’m afraid I’ll need emergency surgery or have an infection,” he said. “Now, I can plan and think ahead.”
The Significance of the Procedure
Dr. Moloney emphasized the emotional impact of the surgery. “It’s like watching people come out of a time capsule and reintroduce themselves to the world,” he said. “It’s highly emotional for us.”
For Chapman, the procedure has been a long-awaited miracle. “We’ve been with him since he was a teenage boy. He’s waited till he’s 34 to get that,” Moloney said. “We’ve all waited a long time.”
