Eye transplant recovery leaves doctors "truly amazed"

A veteran who received the world's first whole-eye transplant recently traded in his old license plate, featuring his injured face, for a new one showing off his recovery.

Utility line worker Aaron James lost most of his face in a June 2021 work incident when he accidentally touched a 7,200 volt live wire. Doctors performed the world's first whole-eye and partial-face transplant in May 2023 and now James is back to daily life.

"I'm pretty much back to being a normal guy, doing normal things," James said in a press release from NYU Langone Health in New York City. "All in all, though, this has been the most transformative year of my life."

While his sight hasn't returned, doctors are hopeful for what the transplant could mean going forward.

The life-changing accident

James doesn't remember the accident , CBS News previously reported. He was rushed to a regional burn unit after accidentally touching a live wire while holding a ground wire in his left hand, NYU Langone said.

Dr. Eddie Rodriguez, one of James' doctors for the transplant, previously said he was in "bad shape. They have to amputate his arm [above the elbow], so right at the midarm. His face is destroyed."

James was in a medically induced coma for six weeks and spent more than three months in the burn unit of 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 also lost his chin down to the bone, 20% of his tongue, his left cheek and his lips.

Recovery process

The National Guard veteran, who served three tours in Iraq , Kuwait and Egypt, underwent multiple reconstructive surgeries, but he still couldn't eat or drink normally. James also had trouble speaking, so he agreed to undergo a face transplant, including the world's first transplant of a donor eye.

While he regained the ability to taste, smell and eat solid foods, James' sight has not returned. Doctors say his transplant gives them "hope for the future of whole-eye transplants with an aim to restore sight" because a test shows the eye's light-sensitive nerve cells survived the transplant.

"We are truly amazed by Aaron's recovery, with no episodes of rejection," Dr. Rodriguez said. "Our methodical approach to the matching process, ensuring that Aaron received the most favorable donor match, along with our unique immunosuppression regimen, has set the standard for eliminating and avoiding early rejection episodes."

Moving forward

The next step in eye transplants is preserving nerve cells during the process, Dr. Paul Glimcher, director of NYU Langone's Neuroscience Institute and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, said.

"The critical task ahead is to ensure that all of the eye cells survive the transplant, which is essential for restoring connections to the brain," Dr. Glimcher said. "That is the fundamental requirement for vision, as sight is primarily a function of the brain, not just the eyes."

Doctors plan to continue working with James to try and understand how they can restore sight.

"I have felt honored to be patient zero," James said. "Even if I can't see out of my new eye, I've gained my quality of life back, and I know this is a step forward in the path to help future patients."

He also has something else to look forward to: 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.