A military veteran who received the world’s first total eye transplant recently traded in his old license plate depicting his injured face for a new one that shows his recovery.
Aaron James, a power line worker, lost most of his face in a work-related accident when he accidentally touched a 7,200-volt live line in June 2021. Doctors performed the world’s first full eye and partial face transplant surgery in May 2023, and James is now back to his daily life.
“I’m pretty much back to being a normal person and doing normal things,” James said in a press release from NYU Langone Health in New York City, “but overall, this year has been the most changeful of my life.”
While his vision has yet to return, doctors are excited about what the transplant could mean for the future.
A life-changing accident
James doesn’t remember accidentCBS News previously reported that the man was rushed to a local burn unit after accidentally touching a live electrical wire while holding a ground wire in his left hand, according to New York University Langone.
Dr Eddie Rodriguez, one of James’ doctors who performed the transplant, previously said James’ “condition is bad. They have to amputate his arm (above the elbow), so they have to amputate it about midway through his arm. His face is destroyed.”
Joe Carrotta / NYU Langone
James was put into a medically induced coma for six weeks and spent more than three months in a burn unit at a Dallas hospital, according to NYU Langone. When he woke up, he had lost his nose, his front teeth, his left eye and his dominant left hand. He had also lost his jaw down to the bone, 20 percent of his tongue, his left cheek and his lip.
Recovery Process
James, a National Guard veteran who served three tours of duty in Iraq, Kuwait and Egypt, had undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries but still couldn’t eat or drink normally and had trouble speaking, so he agreed to undergo the world’s first face transplant, which also included a donor eye transplant.
James has regained his sense of taste, smell and ability to eat solid food, but not his eyesight. Tests showed that light-sensitive nerve cells in his eye survived the transplant, so doctors said his surgery “offers hope for the future of whole-eye transplants to restore vision.”
“We are truly amazed that Aaron recovered without rejection,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “Our systematic approach to the matching process that allowed us to match Aaron with the most suitable donor and our unique immunosuppressive regimen established the standard for eliminating and avoiding early rejection.”
Moving Forward
Dr. Paul Glimcher, director of the Neuroscience Institute and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone, said the next step in eye transplants is to preserve nerve cells during surgery.
“A key challenge going forward will be to ensure that all of the eye’s cells survive the transplant procedure, which is essential for restoring connections with the brain,” said Dr Glimcher, “which is fundamental for vision, because vision is primarily a function of the brain, not just the eye.”
Haley Ricciardi – NYU Langone Health
Doctors will work with James to find a way to restore his vision.
“I’m honored to be patient number one,” James said, “Even though I can’t see with my new eyes, I’ve restored my quality of life, and I know this is a step towards helping future patients.”
He’s also looking forward to another thing: sending his daughter off to college.
“I’ve been given the gift of a second chance and I don’t take a single moment for granted,” James said.
