Molly: Thorn in the eye
Molly was running through bush when a 0.5cm thorn from a shrub lodged in her cornea. This was removed with the aid of the operating microscope. The laceration in the cornea was sutured. This healed with a small scar saving Molly’s vision.
Goldie: Deep corneal ulcer
Goldie had her eye scratched during a fight with another cat. It became infected and developed into a nasty deep corneal ulcer. Along with medical treatment, a conjunctival graft was surgically placed to allow the ulcer to heal and strengthen the cornea. The graft was later cut to allow the cornea to clear. Eventually the cornea will clear totally, and Goldie will have good vision in her injured eye. Her owner is happy with her progress!
Milo: Cancer inside the eye -eye was removed
Milo, a middle-aged Labrador had cancer inside his right eye. His eye was sore and would bleed inside. The decision was made to remove his eye so the cancer would not spread to other parts of his body and he would be more comfortable. Once the eye is removed, we stitch the skin together over the eye socket. A silicone ball can be placed in the eye socket under the skin, so a hollow does not occur. Milo’s owner was pleased with the result and Milo was happier without his sore eye.
Basil: Iris Pigmentation Melanoma
Sometimes cats develop pigment spots on their iris. This can develop into melanoma and then the eye may need to be removed to prevent spread of the cancer. It is important to have these eyes checked on a regular basis. Basil’s right eye developed iris melanoma and was removed. No silicone ball was placed in his eye socket.
Corneal Sequestra in cats
A black area develops in the cornea of some cats. This is painful and although these lesions may occasionally fall off, they can also lead to perforation and loss of the eye if not treated. The best treatment is surgical excision of the black area of cornea. The cornea is thin so a graft of either cornea, conjunctiva or sometimes A-cell graft may be sutured in the defect. When this heals, the eye is comfortable and often has good vision after a few months depending on the type of graft and severity of the sequestrum.
Mo – Rabbit with Uveitis
Mo developed inflammation of the iris in both eyes from an infection of Encephalitozoon cuniculi. His left eye was severely affected and failed to respond to treatment and was unfortunately lost. His right eye is well managed on long term medical treatment – before treatment his iris had thick red areas with white spots on his lens. Now he is a happy bunny.
Merlin: Glaucoma & ISP
Sometimes we can’t save an eye, but we want our pet to be comfortable. Merlin, an older Husky developed glaucoma (high pressure) in his right eye. This painful condition led to blindness is this eye. The decision was made to place an ISP (intrascleral prosthesis – silicone ball) inside his eye instead of removing his eye to make him pain free. His owner reports that most people don’t initially realize that he has lost his right eye. He copes very well with only one good eye and is a healthy happy dog.
Morris: Eye Abscess
Morris – a very old Cockatiel, developed an abscess involving his left eye. He became sick and stopped eating. Though we could not save his eye and had to remove it, and 3 years later he is still a chirpy, happy bird, eating well and coping very well with one eye.
Mavis: Conjunctivitis
Mavis – a Sphinx (hairless) cat- had (conjunctivitis) mucky, sore eyes from when she was quite young. Her lower eyelids were rolling in (entropion) and the short eyelid hairs were rubbing on her eyes causing discomfort and led to a black spot(sequestrum) on her cornea. The lids were surgically corrected, the sequestrum treated and the conjunctivitis is gone and she is now much more comfortable. Her owners are happy that she no longer has mucky eyes all the time and the black spot on her cornea is barely visible as a small shadow.
Kaiser: Everted Third Eyelid
Kaiser had scrolled third eyelids (called eversion of the nictitan’s cartilage) from when he was a very young dog. Instead of helping eyelid function, these bent third eyelids stopped his eyelids from closing properly leading to conjunctivitis (mucky sore eyes). The bent piece of cartilage was carefully removed and he now has nice functional third eyelids.
Nannah: Cancer Removal
Nannah was a 19-year-old white cat who developed a large skin cancer on her lower eyelid. The cancer was removed and a small piece of her lip was used as a graft to make a new lower eyelid. Sadly, she died of other age related causes 6 months later, but the cancer had not returned and her new pain – free eyelid was working very well.
Tom: Cancer Removal Third Eyelid
Tom developed a cancer on his third eyelid. The third eyelid & cancer were successfully removed.
