Overview
- The Molinette surgical team in Turin reported that it performed the procedure and restored vision to a 67-year-old patient after a near six-hour operation, with the hospital releasing details on Monday.
- The patient lost vision in her left eye from irreversible optic nerve damage after a road accident and had severe trauma and maculopathy in her right eye that destroyed the stem-cell zone needed for a standard corneal graft.
- Surgeons led by Prof. Michele Reibaldi removed and transplanted a complete anatomical block—cornea, sclera, conjunctiva and for the first time the macula—into the remaining eye in a procedure the hospital called a 'transfert biologique'.
- French retinal specialist Prof. Michel Paques confirmed to AFP that the operation appears to be a world first, but he and the hospital say published, peer-reviewed data and independent assessment are required to judge the technique and its reproducibility.
- The macula is the small central part of the retina that enables detailed sight, so follow-up will focus on whether the grafted tissue sustains long-term retinal function and whether the approach can be safely replicated for other patients.