Veterinary Eye Services: Enucleation/intraocular Prosthesis/ciliary Body Ablation
Animal Eye Consultants offers advanced pet eye surgery for severe ophthalmic injury and disease. Our state-of-the-art facility and experienced eye care specialists can perform complex procedures involving the eye such as enucleation, intraocular prosthesis, and ciliary body ablation.
Enucleation
Veterinary enucleation is the removal of an animal’s eye, and is typically reserved as a last option to treat your pet after prior treatment options have failed. It is a permanent method for treating various disorders of the eye which may not respond to other treatments such as:
- Severe untreatable trauma
- Uncontrollable glaucoma
- Cancer of the eye
- Congenital deformities of the eye
Enucleation Procedure
After it has been determined that enucleation is the best option for your pet, the surgery can be performed to remove the eye. In certain severe cases, such as orbital disease, it may also be necessary to remove of all the tissues within the eye socket. This includes muscle and other tissues, in addition to the eye. This is called exenteration.
After removal of the eye, the eyelid edges are permanently sutured closed. Once the hair grows back in the area, the appearance of the dog is usually quite good.
Postoperative Care
Most animals are fully recovered from the surgery and are acting normal within 48 to 72 hours. After surgery, the incision (suture site) must be protected until healing is complete. Your pet may be sent home wearing an Elizabethan Collar or “cone” to prevent rubbing or traumatizing the surgery site.
Antibiotics and pain medication may be prescribed as necessary to keep your pet comfortable and guard against infection.
Carefully monitor your pet after the surgery. If there is any sign of persistent swelling, oozing from the stitches, or if your pet acts as if they are not feeling well, please contact us immediately.
Intraocular Prosthesis
As an alternative to suturing the eye closed, we do offer an option to insert a prosthesis or false eye. The prosthetic eye is strictly cosmetic and will not help your pet’s visual acuity. The silicone prosthetic eye creates a natural and symmetrical look to your pet. Please note, there is slightly more healing time with a prosthetic eye than with typical enucleation closure.
Pharmacological Ablation of the Ciliary Body for Glaucoma
If your pet has a blind eye as a result of glaucoma, an intravitreal injection can be administered. The injection destroys the ciliary body (where aqueous is produced), and permanently reduces the intraocular pressure.
In some cases, after the injection, the eye can become much smaller than normal. This is a result of ciliary body destruction, causing the pressure in the eye to become abnormally low. Pets can go home the same day of surgery. Post-op care includes both topical and oral medications, and follow-up visits, to check on the healing process.
We understand how important your pet is to your family. We are committed to providing the best possible eye heath care possible for your pet. Please contact us to schedule an appointment.