Archive · 17 Sep 2025
Tooth-in-Eye Surgery Restores Sight After 20 Years
Imagine losing your sight as a teenager, and then getting it back after 20 years!
That's what happened to Brent.
He had a special surgery called OOKP.
Doctors used a tooth to help him see again.
They took a tooth and some bone, and put it in his cheek to help grow new tissue.
Then, they put it in his eye with a special lens.
This helped him see clearly after years of not being able to.
This type of surgery is for people with severe eye damage, and it has a high success rate.
A Canadian man regained his sight after 20 years through tooth-in-eye surgery.
Brent Chapman lost his vision at 13 due to a reaction to a painkiller, suffering from Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
The OOKP surgery involves using a tooth and bone to support a lens in the eye.
The surgery is typically performed when traditional corneal transplants have failed.
Studies show a 94% success rate for the surgery after 27 years.
- Who
- Brent Chapman, a Canadian man
- What
- Underwent tooth-in-eye surgery to restore his vision
- When
- Surgery performed recently, vision loss began 20 years prior at age 13
- Where
- North Vancouver, Canada
- Why
- To restore sight after vision loss due to Stevens-Johnson syndrome and failed corneal transplants.
- Patient
- Brent Chapman
- Age at Vision Loss
- 13
- Cause of Vision Loss
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Surgery Type
- Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP)
- Surgeon
- Dr. Greg Moloney
- Success Rate (27 years post-op)
- 94%