Is an Eye Transplant Possible?
Is an Eye Transplant Possible?My friend says she is having an eye transplant surgery, I say such a thing isn’t possible. Who is right?Answer: You may hear the words “eye transplant” used by patients, but a true eye transplant surgery is not possible. Currently, the only eye transplant procedure that is available is the cornea transplant, which replaces a diseased cornea with a cornea donated by a deceased donor. So your friend probably meant that she would be having a cornea transplant, not an eye transplant. Scientists don’t expect a total eye transplant surgery to become a possibility in the near future. A true transplant of the eye would require severing and reattaching the optic nerve, which is beyond the current capabilities of surgeons. Sources: Facts about the Cornea and Cornea Disease. National Eye Institute. January 2011.
