The doctors originally intended to only perform a partial face transplant.
So it was always an issue of trying to be able to restore blood flow to the eye.
Ceradini and his teamannouncedthe transplant last November, six months after the procedure.
Aaron James (center) with two of his NYU Langone doctors, Daniel Ceradini (left) and Eduardo Rodriguez (right)© Haley Ricciardi/NYU Langone Health
The surgery took about 21 hours to complete, though the doctors were able to practice virtually beforehand.
So far, things have continued to go smoothly.
He still does not have sight in the eye, which we reported in the paper.
But there is electrical activity in the retina.
And its very well perfused, which is a huge milestone for eye transplantation.
No one really ever knew if this was possible in the way that we did it, Ceradini said.
Aesthetically, Aarons doing great.
To date, the donated eye hasnt significantly shrunk or lost pressure, which were potential risks.
I think its promising.
So Im hopeful that it will happen in the near future, Ceradini said.
It will take a multidisciplinary approach, though.
I think that is the key for success.
All in all, though, this has been the most transformative year of my life.
Ive been given the gift of a second chance, and I dont take a single moment for granted.
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