> A team of surgeons in New York has performed the world's first transplant of an entire eye in a procedure widely hailed as a medical breakthrough, although it isn't yet known whether the man will ever see through the donated eye.
That's an important bit to know, and I imagine there will be a lot of people reading just the headline and not realizing that sight has not been granted with this transplant.
> The transplanted left eye appears very healthy, said retinal ophthalmologist Vaidehi Dedania. It has a good blood supply, is maintaining its pressure, and is generating an electrical signal, though James is not yet able to see. "But we have a lot of hope," she added.
Not that it didn't work, but that it's too early to tell. Fingers crossed.
Though later on the article also says, less optimistically:
> Given the time that has passed since the surgery, Washington said she did not think it likely that James's eye would regain vision, but "I never say something is impossible," she added.
Given the signal isn’t blocked by scar tissue on nerve endings, I see this happening. The brain is amazing. It can reroute. It can form new routes given stimulus and a need. I have no doubt that if the patients nerve endings are good and the eye was attached proper (sounds like it was) then it’s a matter of time before the brain reconnects the shutdown pathways.
It takes some effort, some real effort, on the patients part though. Meditation. Visualizing the brain making the connections. Eating right. Exercising. And healing.
Not guaranteed but the best environment is crucial to regain mobility/ability.
This is coming from someone who has broken their back, their legs, arms, fingers, wrists, skull, and a few broken toes. Obviously not all at once. I have had 1 surgery, the rest I declined. The body knows itself. Don’t get in the way of it correcting itself. Just provide the best environment you can. You may not be able to reach your bum today, but you will.
Indeed, if they just slapped it in there like a modular daughter-card and hooked it up the the power supply (blood, etc) but it doesn't actually work for what most people consider eyes to be most useful for, it's a significant datum that radically changes the interpretation. Still cool, but important detail.
I think maybe the reason people will read the headline and expect a fully functional eye is because most people will drastically underestimate what an incredible feat this is. It isn't much of a stretch to say eyes are a part of the brain that's sticking out.
If a headline talked about the first dorsal amblugda transplant (or some non-made-up component of the brain's anatomy), I would not expect it to be functional. I would be very impressed that they managed to "slap it in there like a modular daughter-card and hook it up the the power supply" although it wouldn't occur to me to use a metaphor that makes it sound in any way simple.
That's an important bit to know, and I imagine there will be a lot of people reading just the headline and not realizing that sight has not been granted with this transplant.