She was blind. Now she’s not. Surgeons give her sight via a tooth

By at 16 September, 2009, 4:30 pm

She was blind. Now she’s not. And, no, it’s not a miracle. It’s surgery. Doctors in Miami restored the sight of a 60-year-old woman who had been blind for the last nine years, reports cbs4.com. The surgeons removed a tooth, drilled a hole in it, inserted a plastic lens into the hole, and implanted the tooth-lens combination into her eye. The first of its kind operation in the United States has restored Sharron “Kay” Thornton’s vision to 20/70. She can now recognize faces and read a newspaper with a magnifying glass. Thornton lost her vision nine years ago to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The disease destroys the cells on the

surface of the eye which left Thornton’s cornea scarred. Doctors in Miami chose Thornton’s eyetooth (canine) and then shaved and sculpted the tooth before implanting it and the lens into the skin. A doctor will then prepared the surface of the eye by removing scar tissue surrounding the damaged cornea. “I’m so thankful that the doctors at Bascom Palmer never gave up on me; they kept searching,” Thornton said. “I’m looking forward to seeing my seven youngest grandchildren for the first time.” Amazing, no? More FloriDUH

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She was blind. Now she’s not. Surgeons give her sight via a tooth

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