Woman Regains Sight After World's First Eye-to-Eye Auto-Transplant in Turin

A 67-year-old blind woman named Elena has regained her sight after a historic, world-first eye auto-transplant at the Molinette hospital in Turin. Led by Professor Michele Reibaldi, the six-hour surgery successfully transferred a complete anatomical block—including the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, and the macula—from Elena's blind left eye to reconstruct her damaged right eye. Elena, who lost her vision in a car crash five years ago, is recovering progressively and has already recognized her son and her guide dog, Joe.

World-first eye auto-transplant procedure

• ▪Surgeons at the Molinette hospital in Turin performed the world's first complete auto-transplant of the eye's anterior segment and the central part of the retina from one eye to the other.
• ▪The surgical team at the Molinette hospital was led by Professor Michele Reibaldi, director of the university's Clinic of Ophthalmology.
• ▪The complex surgical procedure lasted nearly six hours and required collaboration among ophthalmologists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and hospital management.

Patient injury from traffic accident

• ▪The traffic accident caused irreversible damage to the optic nerve of Elena's left eye, preventing light transmission to the brain while leaving its physical structures intact.
• ▪A 67-year-old patient named Elena lost her sight following a severe traffic accident that occurred more than five years prior to the surgery.
• ▪Elena's right eye had suffered severe trauma to the retina and cornea during the accident, compounding pre-existing damage from maculopathy.
• ▪The complete destruction of stem cells in Elena's right eye made a conventional corneal transplant impossible.

Macula transfer surgical innovation

• ▪The transplant involved transferring a single anatomical block containing the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva, and macula from the patient's non-functioning left eye to her right eye.
• ▪Prior to this operation, a simultaneous transplant of the anterior segment had been performed only once globally, by Professor Michele Reibaldi and Professor Vincenzo Sarnicola.
• ▪The surgical team successfully transplanted the macula, the central portion of the retina responsible for central vision, which had never been achieved before.

Vision recovery after five years

• ▪Elena recovered her vision after more than five years of total blindness, successfully recognizing her son and her service dog upon opening her eyes.
• ▪Clinical checks confirmed successful tissue engraftment and progressive functional recovery, with Elena progressing from seeing black and white to recognizing colors.

Service dog hospital accommodation

• ▪Elena's service dog, a canine companion named Joe trained to assist blind individuals, accompanied her to the hospital ward.
• ▪The management of the Molinette hospital authorized the service dog Joe to stay with Elena in her room for the entire duration of her hospitalization.