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Worlds First Saliva Gland and Laser Artificial Cornea Implantation...



Pioneering Eye Surgeon, Dr. Ming Wang of Nashville, TN announces today that he has successfully performed the Laser Artificial Cornea Implantation on Brad Barnes of Saint Louis, Missouri.



At age 34, Brad Barnes of Saint Louis, Missouri suffered from a devastating alumni molten metal accident and completely lost sight in both of his eyes. After many extensive eye surgeries at major medical centers, he was declared to be irreversibly blind. In the past 12 years, Brad has lived in nearly total darkness. He married to Jackie Barnes twelve years ago, but to date, Brad has never seen Jackie.



Now, due to the combination of modern technology and loving heart and giving spirit of Nashville's8217;s citizens, Brad may finally be able to see Jackie, for the first time. Laser artificial implantation, a new surgery that Dr. Ming Wang has developed, was performed on Brad, at Saint Thomas Hospital, on May 8, 2006.



Thus, Brad was the first patient in the world to have received the combination of paratid gland transposition and laser artificial cornea implantation.



In the process, Brad made medical history.



In spring of 2005, Brad was traveled to Nashville,Tennessee's8217;s Wang Vision Institute, to see Dr. Ming Wang, a pioneering eye surgeon who developed some of the novel eye reconstructive surgeries to restore vision in terminally corneal blind patients for whom all conventional treatments have failed. A Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Attending Surgeon of Saint Thomas Hospital and Director of Wang Vision Institute, Dr. Wang performed the world's8217;s first laser artificial cornea implantation. After extensive examination and evaluation, Dr. Wang concluded that he could not help Brad.



At that time Brad had no tear production, at all. Baseline tear production is critical for the success of the eye surgery. Dr. Wang investigated with Brad and found that there is a new type of surgery for patients like Brad, called saliva gland transposition, in which an ENT surgery transpose a patient's8217;s own saliva gland from the jaw area to the tempo area so patients could use his/her own saliva to moist the eyes.



Dr. Wang found that he had to send Brad back to exactly where he came from, Saint Louis, MO, since Dr. Wang found out that there had been only one such saliva gland transposition surgery done ever in US, which was performed by Dr. Robert Panelli of Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Dr. Wang contacted Dr. Panelli and referred Brad there.



In March of 2005, Brad underwent the 13-hour operation. The surgery was a success. In the Fall of 2005, Brad's8217;s transposed saliva gland on his left eye began to moisten his left eye and he is ready to undergo Dr. Wang's8217;s novel sight restoration surgery.



But, there is still a final stall. Even though Dr. Wang will perform the surgery and care free of charge for Brad, these novel eye reconstructive surgeries are not covered by insurance and Brad and Jackie are unable come up with the financial resources to afford the frequent visits from St. Louis, MO to Nashville TN as well as the high cost of hospital stays and operating room costs at where the ground-breaking surgery will take place-- St. Thomas Hospital.



On October 1, Brad and Jackie came to Nashville's8217;s Cheekwood Botanical Garden and attended the first annual fund-raising event of a none-profit organization, the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration. Founded two years ago, the sight restoration foundation was established to help indigent patients from around the world to Nashville o undergo novel sight restoration surgeries for whom all traditional surgeries have failed. All funds raised by the foundation go to support the patient with all doctors provide their surgery and care free of charge. In spring of 2004, the foundation helped a 45 year-old man who regained sight after nearly 40 years of blindness. To date, patients from over 40 states in US and from over 55 countries worldwide have come to Nashville to be considered for these novel eye reconstructive surgeries.



At the Eye Ball, Brad and Jackie told the attendees about Brad's8217;s situation and his biggest desire in his life, to see his dear wife whom he had never seen. Brad's8217;s life and determination left the Eye Ball attendees a deep impression, and shortly after the Eye Ball, Dr. Wang e-mailed Brad and Jackie and told them the wonderful news: the foundation has secured enough funding that Brad has now been admitted as a foundation patient and financial resources now are finally available to enable Brad to undergo the novel eye rebuild surgery!



For information about Brad and Jackie Barnes and the novel laser artificial cornea surgery, call Alanna Napier 615-480-3816, or visit www.wangfoundation.com, www.wangvisioninstitute.com, 615-321-8881.






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