A surgical method that uses teeth to restore vision to blind patients is slowly gaining popularity around the world, with the first clinic opening this treatment in Canada. This surgery is called "Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP)," and it's actually not new. In fact, ophthalmic surgeon Benedetto Strampelli pioneered this procedure in Italy more than 60 years ago.
The procedure has been performed dozens of times in a handful of countries over the past few decades, and three patients in Canada have now undergone the first part of the two-stage OOKP procedure.
The first patient was 74-year-old Gail Lane, who lost her vision ten years ago. Her surgery was performed by Dr. Greg Moloney, an ophthalmologist at Providence Medical Center in Vancouver who had previously performed "implanted tooth" surgery on seven patients in his native Australia.
Here's how it works: First, the patient's canine tooth (also called an eye tooth because it sits just below the eye) is extracted, shaped into a rectangle, and a hole drilled into it to fit a plastic optical lens. The dental lens is then surgically embedded in the patient's cheek for about three months, during which time a layer of tissue grows around the lens.
Additionally, a piece of skin is taken from the inside of the patient's cheek and sewn over the eye just below the eyelid. When the dental composite and its tissue layers are ready, the flap, which is sewn over the eye, is lifted, the damaged iris and lens are removed, and the dental composite is inserted.
Finally, the flap is placed back over the eye to keep the teeth in place, and holes are made in the flap to allow light to enter the lens.
Patients usually begin to regain their vision one month after the surgery is completed.
Watch the animation below for an overview of the surgery.
It is worth noting that OOKP only applies to certain conditions that cause blindness. People with damaged corneas but healthy eyes, whose retina and optic nerve are located at the back of the eye, are ideal candidates for this procedure. In Gail Lane's case, she became blind due to scarring of her eyes from Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare skin disease caused by a severe reaction to prescription drugs.
The OOKP procedure has been considered effective for decades after it was performed, and is offered at a handful of medical institutions in Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and India. Based on what I know about surgical methods that use one part of the body to help treat another, such as skin and tissue grafts for burn repair and breast reconstruction after mastectomy, this is probably the most advanced method on the list.