Subject: Eye Transplants
My mother, who has macular degeneration, is virtually blind. There is no treatment that I am aware of for this disease. Unfortunately, she met a woman who had recently had an eye transplant, and allowed her hopes to rise that this might be a solution to her problem. I believe, however, that eyes themselves are not transplanted, that when one refers to eye transplants, one is normally referring to transplanting a cornea or other small piece of the eye.
Could you please confirm this for me. Is it, in fact, possible to transplant an entire eye?
Answered by Richard E. Gans, M. D.
At present, there is no such thing as an "eye transplant". Transplanting an entire eye would require reconnecting the 1.1 million nerve fibers within the optic nerve -- something that is currently impossible.
Transplants, with regard to the eye, are limited to corneal transplants.
PLEASE NOTE: The information contained on this system is not intended to supplant individual professional consultation, but is offered as a community education service. Advice on individual problems should be obtained directly from a professional.
Copyright, 1994. Richard E. Gans, M.D.
Last Modified: August 23, 1996