AAO 2026: The optic nerve is the barrier to sight in eye transplant

Restoring sight after whole human eye transplant remains a long-term goal, and the optic nerve is the limiting factor, according to Vaidehi Dedania, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York, New York. At the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dedania spoke with Ophthalmology Times about the surgical advances, patient populations, and hurdles shaping the field.

Microsurgery to isolate the blood vessels and nerves and anastomose them has been a collaboration across multiple specialties, Dedania said. Current work focuses on decreasing ischemia time and on preserving the globe outside the donor’s body before it reaches the recipient. In the first whole human eye transplant at NYU Langone Health, the eye was transplanted together with a partial face. Dedania said this unique scenario “really is what led to the success for this patient,” because blood and nerve supply to the eye were maintained.

Which patients could benefit from whole eye transplant?

In the shorter term, patients with trauma who have lost 1 or both eyes may benefit most. Even light perception can make a meaningful difference for these patients, because the inability to perceive light disrupts circadian rhythm. “If that patient can even perceive light and understand when it’s day, when it’s night, that’s an incredible impact,” Dedania said. A very long-term goal is regaining vision for patients with glaucoma or advanced macular degeneration who have permanently lost vision.

How far is the field from clinical use?

The optic nerve plays the largest role in making vision possible, and no pathway yet exists to bypass it. “The limiting point at this time for vision at all is the optic nerve and optic nerve degeneration,” Dedania said.

“I think that on a broad scale, we are quite far,” Dedania said, because the ultimate goal is to provide sight. As researchers address the hurdles related to vision, she hopes the procedure can be better implemented.

Dedania reviews the lessons learned from the first whole eye transplant in part 1 of this interview.

For more from the meeting, visit Ophthalmology Times’ AAO 2026 coverage.