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Ethical Considerations of Whole Eye Transplantation
Wesley N. Sivak, MD, PhD
Vijay S. Gorantla, MD, PhD
Yang Li, MD, PhD
Maxine R. Miller, MD
Joel S. Schuman, MD
Mario G. Solari, MD
Gerard Magill, PhD
Kia M. Washington, MD
University of Pittsburgh
2015-03-14
Presenter: Wesley Sivak
Affidavit:
This abstract represents the original work of Dr Sivak.
Director Name: Joseph Losee
Author Category: Resident Plastic Surgery
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Whole eye transplantation (WET) remains experimental. Long presumed impossible, recent scientific advances suggest WET may become a clinical reality. However, the ethical implications of WET as an experimental therapeutic strategy remain largely unexplored. This article evaluates the ethical considerations surrounding WET as an emerging experimental treatment for vision loss. A thorough review of published literature pertaining to WET was performed; ethical issues were identified during review of the articles. Ethical concerns related to WET are discussed in terms of widely adopted ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence and nonmaleficence, and justice. Loss of vision has a devastating impact on a person's overall health and psychosocial wellbeing. The gravity of functional impairment and the inability to reconstruct the eye justify the exploration of WET as a potential therapeutic strategy.
