"Eye Tooth" Takes On a Whole New Meaning

Unbelievable news has emerged from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute this week. After nine years of blindness, Sharron “Kay” Thornton's sight has been restored; thanks to her "eye tooth".

The procedure know as modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP), and described as a "last resort" for patients that may reject a transplanted or artificial cornea, involves implanting an extracted tooth from the patients mouth, into their eye. The tooth is used as an anchor for a prosthetic lens. In Thornton's case, the tooth used to restore her sight was her cuspid, or more commonly known as an eye tooth.

Information from the official press release reveals more about the procedure:

"Developed in Italy, MOOKP has proven effective as a solution to end-stage corneal disease where severe corneal scarring blocks vision and corneal transplants are no longer an option but the eye’s internal structures and optic nerve remain healthy. Patients may have suffered trauma to their cornea, the outside surface of the eye where a contact lens would sit, from chemical injuries, thermal burns, and inflammatory or autoimmune disorders, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome."

Thornton is the first patient in the United States to have this operation.