Pet Eye Care Services: Entropion Surgery for Eyelids

Animal Eye Consultants offers advanced veterinary ophthalmic services for pets. Your pet’s eye health is a key component to their overall well-being. Pet eye health is our specialty and we offer advanced surgeries including entropion repair.

Entropion is a dysfunction of the eyelid, which causes it to roll. The rolled eyelid interferes with your pet’s comfort and vision. It can lead to other complications, such as infection, corneal ulcers, and scarring. Entropion is typically caused by a genetic disorder, and can be noticed as soon as 2 to 6 weeks of age. Alternatively, it can also be caused by trauma or disease.

Treatment for Entropion

The treatment protocol varies based on pet age, and severity. Some pet owners can alleviate mild symptoms of entropion by applying topical lubrication such as eye drops or ointments.

However, the most effective treatment for entropion is surgery. Permanent surgical repair of entropion can be performed to restore normal eyelid function in adult pets. There are various surgical techniques to accomplish this correction, and our veterinary eye specialists will customize the appropriate technique for your pet’s condition. In general, entropion correction is achieved by averting the rolled eyelid away from the globe of the eye, surgically removing a portion of the eyelid, and suturing the incision.

In young pets, permanent surgical correction should be postponed until they are at least 12 to 16 weeks old. Waiting until your pet is full grown to correct entropion may result in permanent corneal scarring.

Based on your pet’s age and condition, we may recommend a temporary surgical correction that involves rolling the affected eyelids away from the eye and tacking them in place with sutures. This procedure may need to be repeated as your pet grows and their facial features develop.

Post-Surgical Care

Post-surgical care is minimal. We will prescribe appropriate antibiotics and ointments to minimize pain, infection, and inflammation. We also recommend an Elizabethan Collar or “cone,” to reduce the risk of pawing or rubbing of the surgical site by your pet. Follow-up visits will be important to remove sutures and assess progress

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding our entropion surgery service, or to schedule an appointment. Our veterinary eye specialists are available to assist you with your pet’s eye health.