Woman Can See Again After World’s First Transplant of a Central Retina

Elena with her dog Joe, and Professor Michele Reibaldi – credit, Ospedale Molinette, supplied

From Turin comes a surgical world-first: the simultaneous transplant of a complete human macula, along with the cornea, sclera, and connective tissue, from one of the patient’s eyes to the other.

It allowed a woman blind for several years to immediately gain enough vision to recognize both her son and her faithful canine companion, Joe.

La Stampa, a Turn-based national newspaper, reported that the intervention was lead by the “intuition” of ocular surgeon Professor Michele Reibaldi, who himself described the process as a “complicated marathon,” lasting 6 hours and requiring careful coordination by surgeons, anesthetists, and orderlies.

The patient was 67-year-old Elena, who lost her eyesight in a road incident which completely severed the optic nerve in her left eye. Responsible for transmitting light absorbed and delineated through the eye to the brain, the irreversible damage was not shared by the rest of eye tissues, which remained largely intact.

In an interesting coincidence, the reverse was true for her right eye. While the optic nerve was undamaged, the trauma of the crash destroyed other parts of her eye including the retina, the cornea, and the portion of the eye containing ocular stem cells, rendering any hope of a normal corneal transplant impossible.

In short, there was enough undamaged components between her two eyes to create one that could function. The only problem was that it would require a surgery never done in the history of medicine, a macular transplant. The macula is a small, light-sensitive region at the back of the retina, itself located in the middle of the eyeball, responsible for high-definition sight. The common cause of blindness, macular degeneration, refers to this small tissue.

Elena also needed a new cornea, and the sclera—the white of the eyeball. Professor Reibaldi resolved to salvage those from the left eye and transplant them all to the right eye, in which the ocular nerve was preserved through the crash.

“This procedure represents a new frontier in ocular surgery,” Reibaldi, who practices at the Molinette Hospital in Turn’s City of Health and Science, said according to a translation. “Before today, such a contemporaneous transplant of the anterior eye tissue had occurred just once before, while the central retina has never been possible.”

“Now we will wait and see how well the transplanted retina functions, though early signs are encouraging.”

Follow-ups have confirmed that the tissues have reattached correctly, and that Elena is regaining sight in her right eye.Reibaldi praised the extraordinary collaboration within the team which carried out the procedure, before adding that the biggest prize for them was “the incredible moment in which Elena, opening her eyes, could finally recognize her son and faithful companion in life, Joe the dog.” Woman Can See Again After World’s First Transplant of a Central Retina

Read More........→August 27, 2026

When Zoo Elephants Are Rewilded in Africa, Here’s How Good Their Coping Skills Are

Rewilded elephants on Khamab Kalahari Reserve – Elephant Reintegration Trust of South Africa / SWNS

New research shows that elephants develop successful coping mechanisms when returning to the wild from human captivity.

In fact, the team found that “rewilded” elephants can fit quite well within wildlife systems and readapt—even after long-term captivity.

For the new study, a team from the Elephant Reintegration Trust of South Africa examined the behavioral and physiological responses of 11 formerly-captive elephants which had been released onto four different reserves.

For five years each elephant was observed for three weeks at a time at least once annually.

The team looked for indicators that the elephants might be uncomfortable in their wild surroundings and for behaviors that might be “hold-overs” from their time in captivity, such as conflict or confrontation.

The findings showed that, overall, rewilded elephants behaved “very similarly” to their wild neighbors.

Fecal samples collected to test for signs of metabolic stress showed levels within the normal range for wild elephants.

“What I found most fascinating was watching elephants that had spent decades in captivity adapt so successfully to life in the wild,” said co-author Tenisha Roos.

“Seeing them respond to their environment and function much like wild elephants was truly awe-inspiring and a powerful reminder of their remarkable resilience, adaptability, and behavioral flexibility.”

Credit – Glen Carrie / Unsplash

The differences may reflect their previous captive experiences, social circumstances, environmental conditions, and tourism or management pressures, according to the research team.

They say their findings, published in the journal PLOS One, show that rewilded elephants behave “very similarly” to their wild counterparts, despite some consistent differences—suggesting that they have adapted well to their return to wild habitats.

The research team also noted a high degree of variability in behavior between individual rewilded elephants, but that might be related to each animal’s personality.

Each elephant likely found their own unique ways to cope with their relocation.

The 11 animals in the study represent more than 50% of the rewilded elephant population across South Africa so far.

“While a few elephants showed slightly elevated stress biomarkers, all values remained within the normal range for wild populations, indicating successful adaptation—with no evidence of chronic stress.”

Andy Rouse captured antics of Kenyan family of elephants – SWNS

Co-author Tammy Eggeling said: “Although previously-captive elephants may carry the memories of confinement, our research has shown that, when given the opportunity, they can leave that past behind.

“They are able to learn new skills, adapt to unfamiliar environments, and ultimately thrive as wild elephants.”

Co-author Brett Mitchell added: “The data from this project show that when captive elephants are rewilded and given the opportunity, they can regain full autonomy and re-establish natural patterns of movement and behavior.“Through this research, we are also seeing that rewilded elephants can make a meaningful contribution to the conservation of their species.” When Zoo Elephants Are Rewilded in Africa, Here’s How Good Their Coping Skills Are

Read More........→August 17, 2026