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Surgeon honored for first corneal transplant in CNMI
The House of Representatives on Wednesday honored eye surgeon Dr. Dennis Williams with a legislative resolution for successfully performing a corneal transplant in the CNMI—the first such feat in the Commonwealth.
Williams, an eye specialist at the Marianas Eye Institute, performed the pioneering corneal transplant in the Commonwealth last December.
Dr. Dennis Williams holds a citation from the House of Representatives recognizing his pioneering efforts in the first-ever corneal transplant in the CNMI. (Joel D. Pinaroc)
In accepting the resolution, Williams thanked lawmakers for the recognition, saying the success of the first corneal transplant on the islands has resulted in several patients now waiting to undergo the same operation.
Previously, corneal transplant operations were referred off-island.
Williams, formerly a Clinical Associate Professor of Eye Surgery at the University of South Florida, moved to the CNMI in March 2014 to join Marianas Eye Institute.
In a corneal transplant, the patient’s own damaged cornea is removed, and replaced with a donor cornea. The cornea is the clear transparent surface of the eye that covers the brown or blue iris.
The cornea can become cloudy because of injury, infection, or changes from aging, and when it does, the patient is unable to see clearly.
Williams has vast experience in performing corneal transplants, and was excited to do the surgery here. “I felt confident that we would have a good outcome from this surgery. The team of medical staff at [the Commonwealth Health Center] were prepared and eager to assist in this historic procedure,” he said.
Williams explained that corneal transplants have a lower risk of rejection than other organ transplants such as heart transplants and kidney transplants, and the success rate with corneal transplants is very high.
