"A surgical team from NYU Langone Health performed the world’s first whole-eye and partial-face transplant for a 46-year-old military veteran from Arkansas who survived a work-related high-voltage electrical accident. The surgery 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," the release said.
The veteran had lost his left eye, nose, lips, front teeth, left cheek area, chin down to the bone and left arm from above the elbow after his face accidentally touched a live wire, the release said. The surgery, which was performed on May 27, lasted approximately 21 hours and included a team of more than 140 surgeons, nurses and other medical personnel.
The center said it is still unknown whether the patient will regain sight but added that the transplanted eye "has shown remarkable signs of health," therefore, calling the surgery a "groundbreaking achievement" that "opens new possibilities for future advancements in vision therapies and related medical fields."