Tooth in eye helps blind woman see

60-year-old US grandmother had been blind for nearly a decade

60-year-old US grandmother had been blind for nearly a decade

A 60-year-old US grandmother, blind for nearly a decade, has recovered her sight after surgeons implanted a tooth in her eye as a base to hold a tiny plastic lens, her doctors said yesterday.

Sight Of Relief: Thornton now wants to see her grandkids.

Sharron Thornton, from Mississippi, lost her sight in 2000 when she came down with a case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare disease that scarred her cornea.

For patients whose bodies reject a transplanted or artificial cornea, this procedure "implants the patient's tooth in the eye to anchor a prosthetic lens and restore vision," said Thornton's surgeon Victor Perez.

"We take sight for granted, not realising that it can be lost at any moment," the grateful patient said. "This truly is a miracle."

The bandages were removed from Thornton's eyes two weeks ago. She was able to recognise objects and faces a few hours later, and two weeks later she was able to read newspapers.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my seven youngest grandchildren for the first time," said Thornton.

The Procedure

In the procedure which was pioneered in Italy but was a first in the US the medical team extracted Thornton's canine or "eyetooth" and surrounding bone, shaved and sculpted it, and drilled a hole into it to insert an optical cylinder lens.