Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis

Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP), also known as "tooth in eye" surgery, is a medical procedure to restore vision in the most severe cases of corneal and ocular surface patients. It includes removal of a tooth from the patient or a donor.

After removal, a longitudinal lamina is cut from the tooth and a hole is drilled perpendicular to the lamina. The hole is then fitted with a cylindrical lens. The lamina is grown in the patients' cheek for a period of months and then is implanted upon the eye.

The procedure was pioneered by the Italian ophthalmic surgeon Professor Benedetto Strampelli in the early 1960s. Strampelli was a founder-member of the International Intra-Ocular Implant Club (IIIC) in 1966.