Sep 16, 2009 4:00 pm US/Central
Surgeons Implant Tooth To Recover Woman's Sight
Sharron Kay Thornton Was Blind For 9 Years, Now Can See Thanks To Lens In Implanted Tooth
MIAMI (CBS) ―
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Sharron Kay Thornton covers her repaired eye as she speaks during a press conference at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute on Sept. 16, 2009, in Miami. (WARNING: Following photos may be considered graphic)
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Thornton, who was blind for nine years, underwent a first of its kind procedure in the United States known as – modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP).
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis involves implanting one of her teeth in her eye, as a base to hold a prosthetic lens.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Dr. Victor Perez examines Sharron Thornton after she had a tooth with a lens in it implanted into her eyball.
CBS
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Surgeons show the tooth that was implanted with a lens and then implanted into the eye of Sharron Thornton.
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Surgeons work on Sharron Thornton during modified osteo-odonto-keatroprosthesis surgery.
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Surgeons begin to shape a canine tooth during modified osteo-odonto-keatroprosthesis.
CBS
Surgeons in Miami have performed an unusual operation that has given the gift of sight back to a 60-year-old woman who had been blind for the last nine years. The surgeons removed a tooth, drilled a hole in it, inserted a plastic lens into the hole, and implanted the tooth-lens combination into her eye.
The first of its kind operation in the United States has restored Sharron "Kay" Thornton's vision to 20/70. She can now recognize faces and read a newspaper with a magnifying glass, reports CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami.
Thornton lost her vision nine years ago to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The disease destroys the cells on the surface of the eye which left Thornton's cornea scarred. Thornton wasn't a candidate for a cornea transplant or an artificial lens because the eye was so badly damaged by the reaction. Thornton's doctors at Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute had previously tried a stem cell procedure to fix her vision.
That's when she was referred to Dr. Victor Perez, a cornea specialist at Bascom Palmer and professor of ophthalmology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. Perez had trained under a doctor from Rome who developed a modified version of the tooth-lens procedure.
The procedure is known as modified osteo-odonto-keatroprosthesis. Doctors in Miami chose Thornton's eyetooth (canine) and then shaved and sculpted the tooth before implanting the tooth and lens into the skin. A doctor will then prepare the surface of the eye by removing scar tissue surrounding the damaged cornea.
One month later, mucous material is collected from inside of the patient's cheek and used to cover and rehabilitate the surface of the damaged eye. Finally, doctors removed the prosthesis from under the skin and implanted it into the eye. The prosthesis is aligned with the center of the eye and a hole is made in the mucosa for the prosthetic lens. The new lens protrudes slightly from the eye and enables light to re-enter the eye allowing the patient to see.
"I'm so thankful that the doctors at Bascom Palmer never gave up on me; they kept searching," Thornton said. "I'm looking forward to seeing my seven youngest grandchildren for the first time."
Thornton's vision is expected to improve past the 20/70 mark where it currently stands. "Without sight, life is really hard. I'm hoping this surgery will help countless people," Thornton said.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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