Sharron Kay Thornton during a press conference to discuss the procedure used during surgery for her to regain sight in her left eye at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute on September 16, 2009 in Miami, Florida. Thornton who was blind for nine years underwent a first of its kind procedure in the United States known as -- modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP). The procedure implants one of her teeth in her eye, as a base to hold a prosthetic lens. By Joe Raedle/Getty Images.