New surgery available at LVPEI

Internationally renowned experts from Europe and the United States came to LVPEI for a workshop on osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP), a revolutionary surgery that restores vision in patients who cannot benefit from conventional corneal transplants. The OOKP surgery, dubbed “a tooth for an eye”, involves using the patient’s own dental tissue as a supporting framework for a telescopic lens. LVPEI already offers a similar treatment — the Boston Keratoprosthesis (Boston KPro) — which has restored vision to several patients with severe eye damage due to chemical or fire accidents. Now patients with even more extreme corneal damage have a chance of regaining vision, thanks to OOKP.

The workshop was led by Professor Giancarlo Falcinelli from Italy, along with Dr Anthony Aldave from the University of California, Los Angeles, with Prof James Aquavella joining in by videoconference from the University of Rochester Eye Institute, USA.