Shannon Joseph, MD, and Christopher Hood, MD, worked together to help Lou Ann Davis-Walter regain corneal sensation. In addition to Kellogg Drs. Joseph, Mian and Hood, the team includes David Lawrence Brown, MD, and Steve Kasten, MD, from the U-M Department of Surgery, and Jennifer Kim, MD, and Andrew Joseph, MD, from the U-M Department of Otolaryngology.
Kellogg Offers Minimally-Invasive Procedure to Restore Eye Sensation Michigan Medicine surgeons are helping patients who have lost
sensation in their cornea regain feeling through a small-incision
to restore sensation. Dr. Joseph, the oculoplastic surgeon on the
nerve transplant procedure called corneal neurotization.
team, explains how it works: “A nerve graft is harvested from
elsewhere in the patient’s body to act as a conducting cable for
Patients who have lost sensation in the eye due to a
congenital condition, a viral infection, diabetes, trauma,
The novel treatment places new nerves around the cornea
nerve signals. One end of this cable is connected to the nerve
cancer or surgery can develop a condition called neurotrophic keratopathy.
“With reduced ability to feel eye pain or
responsible for sensation in the forehead,
“By restoring corneal sensation,
and tunneled into the cornea.”
irritation, these patients are unable to protect
these patients will be much better
their eyes from everyday hazards like dust,
candidates for transplantation to
which new nerves develop, millimeter by
regain their sight.”
millimeter, until they grow into the cornea.
cornea specialist Shahzad Mian, MD. “As a result, they are more likely to develop corneal
— Shahzad Mian, MD
very small incisions that hide in the crease of
debris and wind by blinking,” explains Kellogg
The graft serves as a scaffold through
“We’re able to perform the procedure through
scratches and severe dry eye that can progress
the eyelid, making it virtually unnoticeable,”
to infections, ulcerations and scarring. Left untreated, these
she adds. Over the course of the next several months, sensation
issues can lead to vision loss.”
in the eye gradually returns.
Cornea specialist Christopher Hood, MD, oculoplastic
“For patients who have really suffered, this can be life-
surgeon Shannon Joseph, MD, and Dr. Mian lead a team of
changing,” says Dr. Hood. “It’s tough to manage neurotrophic
experts in ophthalmology and visual sciences, plastic surgery
keratopathy with drops, contact lenses or patches. In some
and otolaryngology, to perform a minimally invasive surgical
cases, we have performed a tarsorrhaphy—a procedure to join
procedure to address neurotrophic keratopathy called corneal
the eyelids—to give affected eyes a chance to heal. With this
neurotization. Michigan is one of the few hospitals in the coun-
procedure, we can address the underlying cause of the problem.”
try, and the only one in the state, offering this option. 8
and the other end is then wrapped around
