By John McCormick at the WSJ  PHOTO CREDIT: HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY

A surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York recently performed the first knee-replacement surgeries in the U.S. using augmented reality.

Jonathan Vigdorchik, M.D. , last month replaced the knees of two patients, who suffered severe arthritis in their knee joints, while using special glasses that enabled him to review crucial surgical data while performing the operations.

Augmented reality superimposes digital content, such as 3-D images or visual instructions, onto a user’s view of the real world through mobile devices and wearable headsets.

“At many time points during the operation it’s actually providing me information, making sure that my cuts are degree for degree, millimeter for millimeter, accurate,” Dr. Vigdorchik said.

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By Study Finds     Image Credit: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

For anyone that has undergone a life-saving transplant, they know how important organ donation can be.

Now, a new study finds stem cells taken from deceased patients may also help in creating a cure for blindness.

Researchers say retina cells from a corpse continue to survive after being transplanted into the eyes of monkeys.

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a layer of cells in the eyes, transports nutrients and waste products to and from the retina.

These cells also act as a barrier and help regulate light receptors, all of which are “essential” for normal vision.

Now, for the first time, scientists have successfully produced retina cells in monkeys using human stem cells.

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