The procedure has been performed dozens of times in a handful of countries over the past few decades, and Canada now has three patients who have undergone the first part of the two-stage OOKP procedure.
The first patient was 74-year-old Gail Lane, who lost her vision a decade ago. Her surgery was performed by Dr. Greg Moloney, an ophthalmologist at Providence Medical Center in Vancouver who had previously performed the “tooth-in-eye” procedure on seven patients in his native Australia. A plastic optical lens is attached to a canine tooth (aka the “eye tooth”), which is then embedded in the patient’s cheek and a layer of tissue grows over it
Here’s how it works: First, the patient’s canine (aka the eye tooth because it’s located directly under the eye) is extracted, shaped into a rectangle, and a hole is drilled through it to fit the plastic optical lens. The tooth 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.
In addition, a piece of skin is taken from the inside of the patient’s cheek and sewn over the eye under the eyelid. When the dental composite and its tissue layers are ready, the flap 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 a hole is made in the flap to allow light to enter the lens.
Patients typically begin to regain vision one month after the procedure is completed.
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