New surgical procedure uses tooth to anchor prosthetic lens to restore sight

From WPTV in Florida:

MIAMI, Fla. -- Nine years ago -- a rare skin condition called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome blinded a Mississippi woman.

Since then, Kay Thornton's life has been turned upside down. She hasn't been able to drive, read or see her grandchildren. Until now.

For the first time in this country, doctors at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami have used a tooth to anchor a prosthetic lens in a blind person's eye -- restoring vision.

Yes, a tooth.

The complicated procedure involved extracting one of Thornton's teeth, drilling a hole through it, and then inserting a lens through the hole -- like a telescope.

The tooth acts like an anchor, holding the lens in place. Two weeks after the surgery Thornton was reading newsprint.

"Walk around your house and pretend you're blind for one week. It's amazing when you open your eyes back up," Thornton said.

The surgery has only been done a handful of times in Europe and Asia.

Good candidates for this surgery include those who've suffered corneal trauma -- from chemical injuries, burns or disorders like Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.