Canadian surgeons are giving new meaning to the term "eye teeth" by transplanting patients' own teeth into their eyes to restore vision.
The surgery, known as osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP), involves removing a patient's canine tooth, installing a plastic optical lens inside it, and implanting the modified tooth into the eye.
Dr. Greg Moloney, who led the pioneering Canadian operations at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, has already successfully performed seven such surgeries in Australia.
"There is no risk of rejection, because we're using part of the patient's own body," Moloney told CBC Radio's As It Happens.
The tooth works perfectly as a lens housing because dentine is the hardest substance the body produces. The two-stage procedure begins with removing and preparing the tooth, then implanting it temporarily in the patient's cheek to develop blood supply before final placement in the eye.
Among the first Canadian recipients is Brent Chapman, 33, who lost his sight at age 13 due to a rare autoimmune reaction. Despite initial apprehension about the unusual approach, Chapman was convinced after speaking with a successful OOKP patient from Australia. "She had been completely blind for 20 years, and is now snow skiing," he said.
The surgery's track record is impressive — a 2022 Italian study found 94% of patients maintained vision even 27 years after the procedure. While currently only available to patients with specific types of corneal blindness, there are plans to establish Canada's first permanent OOKP clinic in Vancouver,.
"Hopefully, this'll break some ground," Chapman said. "If there's other people in Canada that maybe need this and it becomes an established thing here, I'd feel really great about that."
Previously:
• Blind backpacker and travel writer has visited over 120 countries
• Musk takes break from ruining America to mock blind person
• Blind cat hugs phone when his favorite pianist is playing
