Man Regains Sight After Fireworks Accident Through Groundbreaking Stem Cell Eye Transplant

A 28-year-old was celebrating Independence Day near his aunt's home in California when a stray firework exploded at ground level, sending shrapnel into his left eye

Five years after losing sight in his left eye from a Fourth of July fireworks accident, 28-year-old Nick Kharufeh has regained vision through a revolutionary stem cell transplant procedure, offering hope to millions suffering from corneal blindness.

The accident occurred in California while Kharufeh was celebrating Independence Day near his aunt’s home. A stray firework exploded at ground level, sending shrapnel into his face and severely damaging his left eye. “It was dark out, and my dad couldn't fully tell what had happened,” Kharufeh recalled. The explosion tore through the cornea — the transparent front part of the eye — leaving him permanently blind in that eye.

Kharufeh moved to Boston in January 2021 to become one of the first 15 patients to receive the stem cell transplant

Doctors feared the worst, but after removing debris and determining the deeper parts of the eyeball were intact, they ruled out full removal. Still, the injury led to total vision loss in that eye and months of recovery, multiple surgeries, and unsuccessful attempts at reconstructing his eyelid. “I didn’t leave the house. I didn’t tell anybody what happened because I was kind of embarrassed about it,” Kharufeh said.

He had developed limbal stem cell deficiency — a condition where the eye loses the stem cells required to heal and maintain the corneal surface. Without these cells, traditional corneal transplants are not viable. Corneal blindness, often caused by trauma or chemical burns, affects millions globally.

Kharufeh’s breakthrough came when his mother discovered a clinical trial for Cultivated Autologous Limbal Epithelial Cell Transplantation (CALEC), a pioneering stem cell treatment offered at Mass Eye and Ear hospital in Boston. The CALEC procedure harvests stem cells from the patient’s healthy eye, grows them in a lab into thin sheets, and implants them into the injured eye to regenerate the corneal surface.

In early 2021, Kharufeh became one of the first 15 patients to undergo the procedure, developed in collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the National Eye Institute. After surgery, he began to regain partial vision — enough to recognize objects and move independently using only the treated eye. One of the first things he saw was the bright blue comforter in his Airbnb. “That moment was everything to me. I literally cried for so long,” he said.

Cornea blindness affects millions of people worldwide and its often caused by injuries and chemical burns that destroy the eye's ability to heal

According to a 2024 study published in Nature Communications, the CALEC procedure restored the corneal surface in 93% of patients, and 77% experienced long-term healing more than a year post-treatment.

Despite initial hesitation due to the risk to his healthy eye, Kharufeh said, “I think it’s given me a whole new life. Now it’s the point where I can actually feel normal.”

Lead researcher Dr. Ula Jurkunas emphasized the dangers of fireworks and the urgent need for safe practices. “Every year, we see patients with serious eye injuries caused by fireworks. Most of them are preventable,” she said. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported at least eight deaths and 9,700 injuries from fireworks in 2023 alone — more than 65% occurring around July 4th.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) , fireworks caused at least eight reported deaths and 9,700 injuries in US in 2023

Sparklers, often given to children, burn at over 2,000°F — hot enough to melt metal — and caused more than 700 emergency room visits in 2017. The CDC warns that 18% of tested consumer fireworks have serious safety violations.

Doctors urge families to watch public fireworks from a safe distance of at least 500 feet and never allow children to handle sparklers or firecrackers. If an eye injury occurs, medical help should be sought immediately. Do not rub, rinse, or apply pressure to the eye, and never remove embedded objects.

“It only takes one wrong angle or one second too soon,” said Dr. Jurkunas. “That’s all it took for Nick.”

With further study and FDA approval, CALEC may soon offer a life-changing treatment for patients with few options. For Kharufeh, the experience is a second chance. “I never thought it would happen to me. But I’m lucky. I got a second chance, and I want people to learn from it.”