For the first time in Canada, doctors have successfully completed the first step of a rare surgery to help a blind woman see again. This procedure involves placing a tooth inside the eye.

Gail Lane, who lost her vision 10 years ago, had the first part of the surgery in late February at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver. According to a Facebook post by the hospital, the process includes removing one of the patient’s teeth (usually a canine), inserting a small plastic lens into it, and then implanting the tooth inside the eye.

As reported by CBC, this unique method can help restore vision in certain blind patients. Dr. Greg Moloney, an ophthalmologist and surgeon at the hospital, told CBC, “It is a rare operation that most people have not heard of, even if you are an eye surgeon.

In the first step of the surgery, doctors removed one of Lane’s teeth, shaped it into a small rectangle, and drilled a hole to insert a plastic optical lens. According to the report, this modified tooth was then placed inside Lane’s cheek, where it will stay for about three months before the next stage of the procedure.

A few months later, doctors will take the tooth out of the cheek and place it in the front of the eye, under the cheek tissue. This will create a pink-colored eye with a small black circle in the centre, through which the patient can see. Because the surgery is very complicated, it is only done on one eye, according to Lane’s doctors, as reported by CBC.

Speaking to CTV News, Lane shared how hard it has been not being able to see herself. “I haven’t seen myself for 10 years. If I’m lucky enough to get some sight back, there will be so many wonderful things to see,” she said.

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