Surgeons successfully transplant patient's eyeball, face

For the first time, surgeons have transplanted a human eyeball and face at the same time.

Although it was not possible to restore the patient's vision, the blood circulation in his eye was normal.

This could be a step toward eyeball transplants to restore vision, noted the authors of the respective report published in the journal JAMA.

The surgeons who performed this transplant said that the transplanted eyeball remains viable.

The patient did not have a rejection reaction and the ability of his retina to respond to light was preserved.

"While the recipient has not regained vision, the transplanted eye has maintained normal pressure, good blood flow, and some remaining structure and functions in the retina. Many experts did not think we would even be here, but we've successfully transplanted and maintained an eye without immune rejection. Now, the next challenge is understanding how to restore sight," said lead author Eduardo Rodriguez, who also led the surgical team.

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