Man sees again after 20 years thanks to rare 'tooth-in-eye' surgery

Doctors used a rare 'tooth-in-eye' surgery to embed a tooth and lens into a patient's eye, helping him see again after 20 years of living in darkness

After enduring two decades of blindness and more than 50 unsuccessful operations, a Canadian man had his vision restored by an extraordinary surgical procedure known as ‘osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis’, more commonly known as the ‘tooth-in-eye’ surgery. This rare and complex operation, which uses a part of a patient’s tooth combined with a lens implant, has given new hope to people whose vision loss cannot be corrected by traditional methods.

 

What is tooth-in-eye surgery? 

The surgery involves using a patient’s own tooth (typically a canine tooth) as a support structure to anchor an artificial, optical lens. The tooth is modified to hold the lens and serves as a durable, living bridge between the body’s tissue and the artificial lens.

 

It is used as a last resort, when other interventions, such as corneal transplants, have failed or are no longer viable. The cornea must have been severely damaged or destroyed to the point where grafts can’t take hold.

 

How the procedure works:

 

• A suitable tooth (usually a canine) is extracted.
• The tooth is shaped and a lens is fitted into it.
• It is often temporarily implanted elsewhere, like in the cheek, so that tissues can grow around it, preparing it for its final position.
• Finally, the tooth-lens construct is placed into the eye.

 

A journey back to sight 

Brent Chapman, from North Vancouver, lost sight in both eyes at age 13 after developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare but severe reaction triggered by the painkiller ibuprofen. It caused extensive corneal burns. 

 

Over the next 20 years, he underwent more than 50 surgeries, including about 10 corneal transplants that failed. "It was very devastating when I would lose that vision again, so we couldn’t keep going down that road,” Chapman told Today.in.

 

The operation, conducted in two stages by Dr Greg Moloney, ophthalmologist at Providence Health Care’s Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver.

 

First, in February 2025, one of Chapman’s upper canine teeth was removed and prepared by Dr Ben Kang, division head of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Vancouver General Hospital. In June 2025, the tooth-lens prosthesis was finally implanted into his right eye.

 

Tooth implant restores vision

 

“The tooth is a really ideal structure for holding a focusing element in place,” Dr Moloney said. “It’s hard, it’s rigid, it survives in poor environments, and the body accepts it because it’s part of its own,” he said.

 

Upon waking after the final operation, Chapman could see his hand movements. Over the subsequent months, his vision improved, and he regained enough sight to read and walk unaided.

 

“It’s really indescribable,” Chapman said. “When you’re blind or low-vision, you’re not seeing that, and you’re kind of in your head more. There’s a lot more mental chatter, and it can be difficult,” he told CNN.

 

What this means going forward 

For people with severe corneal damage, for whom no standard treatment remains viable, tooth-in-eye surgery can be a dramatic and life-changing option.

 

Studies on people who’ve undergone tooth-in-eye surgery show the chance that the lens is functional and in place in 30 years is better than 90 per cent, shared Dr Moloney. Chapman’s chance of retaining his current level of vision in 30 years is about 50 per cent.

 

Though rare, successes like Chapman’s may encourage wider awareness and perhaps more surgeons trained in the procedure. Researchers will need to monitor patients long-term to better understand success rates, complications, and quality of vision years later.    For more health updates, follow #HealthwithBS