In Canada, a pensioner had a tooth inserted into her eye socket to restore her vision (4 photos + 1 video)

Lane lost her sight a decade ago due to an autoimmune disorder that left her with severe scarring on her cornea. The retiree is the third Canadian to undergo a rare procedure called osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, which involves using a tooth as a prosthesis to rebuild the surface of the eye.





Lane's doctor, ophthalmologist Greg Moloney of Mount St. Joseph Hospital in Vancouver, was the first doctor to perform the procedure in Canada. He said the first step was to remove the patient's tooth. The tooth is then implanted in the cheek for several months until it is surrounded by strong connective tissue. The tooth and tissue are then removed from the cheek, a hole is made in the tooth, and the lens is inserted. The tooth is then sewn into the patient's eye socket.



The goal of the surgery, Moloney said, is to create "a structure that is strong enough to hold the lens, but that is not rejected by the body."

After the surgery, Lane's vision gradually began to return. She said the first thing she could see was light, and then the wagging tail of her service dog, a black Labrador named Piper.





Lane said she is thrilled to be able to do more of her own thing. “I hope to have more mobility and independence in terms of short trips and walks back and forth where I don’t always have to lean on someone’s arm,” she said.



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