Ruslan Sharipov.

On eye transplantation.

E. R. Muldashev is believed to be the only physician who managed to transplant an eye. However, on the site of Russian Engineers one can read the following words «I have transplanted the retina and the transparent cornea of the donor's eye, all other parts were made of Alloplant». These words are attributed to Muldashev. Moreover, on the same site we find the following words by E. R. Muldashev. «...it is impossible to transplant an eye from a dead to an alive man since it is impossible to sew together tiny blood vessels that feed an eye. Even if we manage to sew these blood vessels, they will be thrombosed and will not feed the eye.»

  In order to overcome this obstruction to the eye transplantation remarked by Muldashev, one should transplant an eye along with surrounding tissues, i.e. along with parts of skull bones forming the eyepit, along with a part of the face including eyelids and eyelashes, along with the skin and underlying soft tissues, along with a part of the brain adjacent to the optic nerve, and, which is important, along with large blood vessels feeding all these tissues.

  Where to transplant all this construct? Certainly, from the aesthetic point of view, it is preferable to place it into the natural eye position after removing the empty eyepit of the recipient and a part of his skull bones and thus replacing them by the bones of the graft. However, if such a transplantation is impossible due to the restricted access for surgical tools, the eye being transplanted can be placed to an unusual position. E.g. on the forehead near patient's temple. In order to provide the connection of the optic nerve and the brain part coming with the graft, the patient's skull and the epithelial linings of his brain on the transplantation site should be perforated and then sewed to such linings on the graft.

  An even more exotic position for the transplanted eye is the lower part of the spine. In this case the optic nerve of the graft is brought in to contact not with the cerebrum, but with the spinal cord. The placement of an eye to such an unusual position could cause many inconveniences, but one could find some previously unknown advantages as well. In any case this would be better than the complete blindness.