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Man's blindness might prevent face transplant
DALLAS (AP) - A north Texas man who lost his facial features to burns from a live electric power line awaits a decision on whether his blindness will bar him from a face transplant.
Dallas Wiens of Fort Worth lost his nose, left eye, lips and skin from forehead to chin because of the accident 19 months ago. Parkland Memorial Hospital surgeons in Dallas have worked to rebuild the 25-year-old man's face, but he still can't see from his right eye. That would leave him unable to inspect his new face daily for rejection, as required of face transplant recipients.
The two U.S. hospitals with face transplant experience differ on whether blind patients qualify for a transplant. The Dallas Morning News reports Ohio's Cleveland Clinic won't consider blind patients, but Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital is evaluating Wiens as a candidate.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News,
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
