Providence Research Profiles: Dr. Greg Moloney

Many trailblazing scientists at Providence Research are making a profound impact in their fields. In this edition of our Providence Research Profiles series, we highlight Dr. Greg Moloney, a pioneering eye surgeon who has played a key role in bringing a remarkable procedure to Canada - one that cures certain types of blindness by implanting a tooth in the eye.

Dr. Moloney is an ophthalmologist at Providence Health Care’s Mount Saint Joseph Hospital (MSJ) and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). 

Originally from Australia, he earned his medical degree at the University of New South Wales and completed his residency at Sydney Eye Hospital. He went on to complete a fellowship in Oculoplastics and Cornea at UBC, training with Drs. Simon Holland, Martin McCarthy, David Lin, Peter Dolman and David Rossman. He went back to Australia to work at Sydney Eye Hospital until 2021, when he returned to Vancouver.

“We are fortunate to have Greg Moloney in our community. He has developed unique skills in ophthalmic and plastic surgery to enable him to perform surgery such as osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis, which is conducted by only a few surgeons globally due to its complexity,” says Dr. Holland, a Clinical Professor in Ophthalmology at UBC. “Dr. Moloney is also creative researcher, a caring and skilled doctor, and has managed to retain his Aussie sense of humour.”

Tooth-in-eye-surgery can give patients back their sight

Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP), known as tooth-in-eye surgery, is a procedure that can restore vision in patients with severe corneal blindness, particularly in instances where traditional corneal transplants aren’t viable, such as blindness caused by severe scarring, chemical burns or other trauma. A plastic lens is embedded within a patient’s extracted tooth, which is then surgically attached to the eye. While it may sound odd, this approach provides a uniquely durable frame for the lens that is less likely to be rejected by the body’s immune system. 

“Although we would like a less invasive option for this category of patient, nothing has presented itself that has the same long-term durability and visual outcomes that this procedure does,” says Dr. Moloney. 

Dr. Moloney has authored multiple research papers investigating modifications to refine OOKP surgery. One such study addressed a potential complication with the procedure: that years after the initial surgery, the tooth may start to be reabsorbed by the body. Dr. Moloney and his team tracked this reabsorption over time and devised alterations to the procedure to help prevent this. 

Bringing the procedure to Australia and Canada

Despite its effectiveness and the benefits this procedure can bring to patients, establishing an OOKP program within a hospital presents financial and logistical challenges. The procedure is complex and resource-intensive, requiring multiple surgeons and two separate stages of surgery, each lasting six to eight hours. 

While OOKP has been successfully performed since 1963, when Dr. Moloney returned to Australia after completing his fellowship training, there was no clear pathway for patients to receive it in that country. Patients with severe corneal scarring were traveling to Singapore for the procedure.

Recognizing this unmet need, Dr. Moloney worked to organize the training, funding and resources necessary to enable the surgical program at Sydney Eye Hospital to conduct OOKP. With the support of Dr. Konrad Hille, the lead surgeon in Germany’s OOKP program, he went on to conduct seven of these surgeries on patients in Australia.

When Dr. Moloney was recruited back to UBC and to MSJ as an ophthalmologist in 2021, he set out to create the first Canadian tooth-in-eye clinic, which required significant training, fundraising and support. With leadership from Dr. Moloney, the Providence Health Care Department of Ophthalmology and St. Paul’s Foundation partnered to establish this program.

“The training and the effort put in by the nursing staff and surgical team at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital has been outstanding. I’ve been highly impressed by the determination of the staff at Providence, who have made this program a reality,” says Dr. Moloney.

In 2025, the first patients in Canada received tooth-in-eye surgery at MSJ, making Canadian medical history.

First Canadian patients regain sight after treatment

One of these patients is Gail Lane, now 75 years old. At age 64, a reaction to an anti-seizure medication led to a rare auto-immune disorder, Stevens Johnson Syndrome, causing her to become completely blind. After receiving OOKP, she has been regaining her sight for the first time in a decade.

It began with an increase in the amount of light she could see. Then, larger objects became visible, increasing in clarity as time went on. One of the first things she could see was the wagging tail of her partner’s guide dog - then, gradually, the rest of the black labrador’s body would come into view. 

“I’ve been able to see wonderful things, like trees and the grass and the flowers outside. Colours have always been really important to me, and it’s a joy to see them,” says Lane.

Lane can now see things such as brightly colored cars, large print on a TV screen, and, significantly, her partner Phil, who she met after becoming blind. Seeing him for the first time was an emotional moment for them both. 

Lane is looking forward to the greater level of independence that sight will give her, such as being able to pick out matching clothes and walk to the store without assistance. Her positive experience with Dr. Moloney and the team at MSJ while receiving this treatment has left a lasting impression.

“The medical people were just so interested and enthusiastic, and loved what they were doing. I can’t say how grateful and appreciative I am, because it’s been like a miracle to me. We’ll never forget it,” says Lane. 

Making an impact on patients’ lives

Even as a medical student, Dr. Moloney knew that he wanted to be a surgeon. His father was a doctor in a small town, and he saw the value that providing medical care offered to his community. He chose ophthalmology as his surgical specialty because of the positive impact that eye surgery can have on patients’ lives. 

Today, Dr. Moloney is driven by the need of patients with little or no vision, and the understanding that effort and hard work from him and his team could potentially restore their sight.

“It was a long, long road, and I couldn’t have done it without the medical team, all my family, and very good friends. It was a hard path at times,” says Lane. “It’s a special and rare procedure, but it’s a wonderful thing.”

The establishment of the first Canadian tooth-in-eye clinic has received widespread attention, and Dr. Moloney’s team already have requests for this surgery from more potential candidates. With the success of the first set of procedures, Dr. Moloney hopes to continue to provide this treatment to patients across Canada. 

Interview with Gail Lane conducted by Ann Gibbon. Read more about Lane’s story here.