shark skin
Tooth implant helps woman see again | HealthZone.ca →
Earlier this month in Miami, she had the last surgery in an unusual procedure that involved putting one of her teeth in her eye. That’s right, her tooth. Also implanted were part of her cheek lining and a plastic cylinder, all to create a window to let in light. It was the first time the procedure, which originated in Italy, was performed in North America. Thornton lost her vision to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a severe allergic reaction that scarred her cornea. Other candidates for the rare procedure include people blinded from immunological disease or severe burns, and who have been turned down for corneal transplants.
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The multi-stage operation began in March when a surgeon took her tooth – an eye tooth no less; it’s the right size – and some jawbone. The tooth and jawbone were used, rather than a synthetic implant, because they can remain alive and meld with her eye tissue. It also reduces rejection risk.
The tooth was shaved down and a hole was drilled to hold a custom-made plastic cylinder. The tooth-cylinder was then implanted under her skin to allow living tissue to grow around it.
Then surgeons took skin from inside her cheek and implanted it over the cornea, which was dry from the scarring. “We had to make a wet environment, a garden,” explained Perez.
Finally, the tooth-cylinder was extracted and inserted into the eye and covered. A tiny hole was cut so the cylinder could protrude. The tooth acts as an anchor for the optical cylinder, which lets in light through the pupil to the retina, explained Perez.
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“I’m ready to see the babies. I’m ready to see my children,” she said, choking up. “I don’t have tear ducts so I don’t cry but I sure choke up.”
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