Surgeons use pig's cornea to save teen's vision

Doctors in China were able to save a teen’s vision by using part of a pig’s eye in a rare transplant. The 14-year-old patient, who was not identified, had injured his right eye with a firecracker, Central European News (CEN) reported.

Surgeons at the ophthalmic center of Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong Province, successfully transplanted a pig’s cornea onto the injured part of the boy’s eye last month, according to CEN. His vision improved within a week.

Lead surgeon professor Yuan Jin said the teen’s vision is expected to improve over time, and that his sight will be comparable to other teens his age, CEN reported.

Surgeons say the success of their surgery may open doors for others, as about five million people in China suffer from corneal blindness.