Boy regains sight after receiving pig’s eye transplant

A 14-year-old boy from Jiangxi, China, is able to see normally again after undergoing a successful cornea transplant operation in Guangzhou.

Doctors from Zhongshan University carried out the operation on the boy last month using part of a pig’s eye to save his sight.

The boy’s condition is stable and he’s expected to have a full recovery. His vision improved with further supervised treatment.

According to  South China Morning Post , the boy lost sight in his right eye when he was injured by a firecracker. The accident took place during the Chinese New Year period, when firecrackers are commonly set off as part of the annual celebrations.

The surgery of transplanting a pig’s cornea onto a human eye is the first of its kind in southern China, reported  Southern Metropolis Daily .

Human cornea transplants are rare in China as hospitals can’t keep up with the demand, especially since donations are limited.

A professor from Zhongshan University’s ophthalmic centre told Chinese reporters that now that humans are able to accept pigs’ corneas, one-third to half of Chinese people suffering from corneal blindness can now regain their sight.

In China, there are around five million patients affected by the disease.

-Mashable