Surgery at Capital Health Gives Sight Back to 19-Year-Old

Editor's Note: The following is a press release issued by Capital Health.

A 19-year-old man recently underwent surgery at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell that allowed him to see clearly again in his left eye.

Dr. Steven Safran, an ophthalmologist based in Lawrenceville, NJ, performed the procedure on Michael Wyatt of Broad Brook, CT, who lost the use of his left eye due to a pyrotechnic explosion, which resulted in the destruction of the iris.  

After consulting numerous other doctors, Michael had been given little hope for the repair of his iris or the return of vision to his eye. Not to be deterred, Kathleen Wyatt, Michael’s mother, started searching the internet for someone who could repair her son’s iris. That’s how she found Dr. Safran.

After several e-mails and conversations with Dr. Safran, Kathleen felt like she had found the right doctor.

When the Wyatts arrived for surgery, they were impressed by the new hospital and the feeling they got when they walked in the front door. “We don’t have anything like this in Connecticut. From beginning to end, I felt that I had found not only the right doctor, but now, the right hospital,” said Mrs. Wyatt.

During the procedure, Dr. Safran was able to repair the iris for better pupil function rather than use a prosthetic iris. The procedure was performed at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell and took 1 hour and 45 minutes.

 “Wyatt had a traumatic cataract so I carefully removed that and added structural support with the use of an internal ring for the placement of a lens implant which was successfully achieved. After that, I started the repair work on his iris," Dr. Safran said. “The iris was in very bad shape and this was an issue that was very important to the Wyatt family, in fact it was the main reason they sought me out.”

Dr. Safran was able to recreate a normal iris anatomy and create a well-centered pupil that would function in a way that a prosthetic device would not be able to match.  To do this, he sutured the remaining iris to the wall of the eye internally from where it had detached and then used further sutures to reconstruct the normal round shape of the pupil in a size and shape that would best match the other eye.

“The reconstruction was extremely successful and it was really exciting to see what looked like a ragged disorganized mess start to come together to look like a perfectly normal eye as I was working,” said Dr. Safran.  

Before the procedures, Michael’s vision was nonexistent. Now his vision is 20/20.

“Not only was it a chance to get my eyesight back, but my life back,” said Michael, who looks forward to getting back to college. “Things are starting to get back to normal again.”

“It’s nice to see Michael has hope again,” said Kathleen. “I feel like I have my son back.”

 “It’s tremendously gratifying,” Dr. Safran said about the surgery he performed on Michael. “It’s nice to make a difference for someone who will benefit for many years to come.”