Canadian surgeons are harvesting teeth to restore sight in a groundbreaking new procedure. The revolutionary “tooth-in-eye” surgery offers hope to those suffering from severe corneal blindness, using a patient’s own tooth as the foundation for an artificial cornea.
At a Glance
- Canadian doctors performed the country’s first “tooth-in-eye” surgeries at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital
- The procedure uses a patient’s tooth fitted with a plastic lens to replace a scarred eye surface
- This surgery is designed for patients with severe corneal blindness when traditional transplants fail
- The two-stage process involves implanting the tooth in the cheek before moving it to the eye
- A 2022 study showed 94% of patients could still see 27 years after surgery
Medical Marvel Brings Sight to the Blind
Dr. Greg Moloney and his surgical team have introduced a radical new weapon in the fight against blindness. The procedure, known as Osteo-Odonto Keratoprosthesis (OOKP), has been performed in about 10 countries worldwide since 1973 but only recently became available in Canada. The new OOKP clinic at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital was funded through $430,000 in start-up costs raised by St. Paul’s Foundation and the Department of Ophthalmology at Providence Health Care.
For patients suffering from severe corneal blindness due to scarring, autoimmune diseases, or chemical burns, this surgery represents a last chance at regaining vision. Traditional corneal transplants are ineffective for these patients, making this tooth-based solution their only hope. The procedure is considered a last resort when all other treatment options have been exhausted.
Surgery implants tooth into eyeball to help blind patients see again https://t.co/ZYaiKk88u2
— Jeffrey J Davis (@JeffreyJDavis) February 28, 2025
How Teeth Become Windows to the World
The science behind the procedure sounds like something from a science fiction novel, but it’s based on proven medical principles. Doctors extract one of the patient’s canine teeth, which then undergoes careful preparation to serve as the foundation for an artificial cornea. The innovative approach leverages the unique properties of dental tissue to create a living prosthetic that won’t be rejected by the body.
“A tooth contains dentin, which is the ideal tissue to house a plastic lens without the body rejecting it,” Dr. Greg Moloney said.
That’s just…weird.
The surgery involves two separate procedures spaced months apart. First, surgeons extract the tooth and implant it in the patient’s cheek, where it develops blood vessels and tissue. In the second surgery, the tooth-tissue combination is removed from the cheek and sewn onto the eye, where it serves as the foundation for a clear plastic lens that restores vision.
Before the establishment of this new clinic, Canadian patients needing this specialized surgery had to travel abroad, facing significant financial and logistical burdens. The program aims to alleviate these challenges by providing the procedure domestically. Dr. Moloney and Dr. Shannon Webber are training local surgeons to establish the procedure as a permanent option in Canada.
It might be odd, but if it works, then this is huge news for humanity.
