A woman who lost her sight a decade ago has regained her vision after a groundbreaking surgical procedure. Gail Lane lost her vision ten years ago when an autoimmune disorder caused permanent scarring to her corneas.
“It was sad,” she told Global News. “I thought about all the things I couldn’t suddenly see, and would I ever be able to see them again?”
Now, after a decade in darkness, the 75-year-old from Canada is seeing again – thanks to a tooth implanted in her eye. Lane is one of just three Canadians to undergo a rare surgical procedure known as osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis, or tooth-in-eye surgery. The complex operation, performed in February, has restored partial vision and dramatically changed her day-to-day life.
“I can see lots of colour and I can see outside now. The trees and the grass and flowers, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to see some of those things again,” she said, per CBC.
Lane shared that the first signs of vision returning came in stages. She first saw light, then movement. She also began to notice the wagging tail of Piper, her partner Phil’s black Labrador service dog. Slowly, the dog and her surroundings came into focus, and six months after the surgery, she saw Phil’s face for the very first time.
“I’m starting to see facial features on other people as well, which is also pretty exciting,” Lane said. She’s still waiting to fully see her own face, but she’s optimistic, especially with a new pair of glasses on the way.
The procedure was pioneered in Canada by Dr. Greg Moloney, an ophthalmologist at Vancouver’s Mount Saint Joseph Hospital. He described the surgery as “complex and strange,” but said it essentially involves replacing the damaged cornea with a biocompatible structure. The process begins by removing a tooth, in Lane’s case, a canine, which is implanted into the patient’s cheek for several months so it becomes surrounded by strong connective tissue.
Afterward, both the tooth and tissue are removed, a small plastic lens is inserted into it, and the modified structure is surgically placed into the eye socket.
“We need a structure that is strong enough to hold onto the plastic focusing telescope, but is not going to be rejected by the body,” Moloney explained.
Lane said the experience was uncomfortable but not painful. “It’s been a long, it’s been a long wait, but well, well worth it.”
She’s now enjoying small freedoms again, including picking out her own clothes, something she once relied on a volunteer app to help with.
“I’m hoping to have more mobility and independence in terms of short trips and walks here and there where I don’t always have to have someone’s arm for me to grab onto,” she said.
For Lane, the most exciting part isn’t just regaining her vision, it’s reclaiming her independence and slowly rediscovering the world, one detail at a time.
