NEW YORK – In a groundbreaking medical achievement, doctors at New York University Langone Health conducted the world’s first surgery involving a complete eye and partial face transplant for a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas. Aaron James, who survived a high-voltage electrical accident, underwent a 21-hour surgical procedure that replaced fifty percent of his facial structure.

The surgery, which took place on May 27, included transplanting the entire left eye and a portion of the face from a single donor, making this the first-ever human whole-eye transplant in medical history and the only successful combined transplant case of its kind. However, the outcome of regaining vision in his newly transplanted left eye remains uncertain.

The medical team at NYU Langone Health also focused on improving the appearance of his new face by providing structural support to the transplanted eye socket and eyelid. The surgery was conducted by a team of more than 140 surgeons, nurses, and other healthcare professionals led by Eduardo D. Rodriguez, MD, DDS, director of the Face Transplant Program at NYU Langone.

Dr. Rodriguez emphasized Aaron’s motivation to regain function and independence after his injury, attributing much of the success to the exceptional institutional support at NYU Langone and the dedication of their team. This milestone has paved the way for new opportunities in the development of future breakthroughs in vision therapies and other related fields of medicine.

This landmark achievement in the field of transplantation and vision therapy has the potential to drive continuous advancements in the medical field.