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Oct 22, 2014

Falcon regains sight after cataract surgery


For the first time, a falcon has undergone eye surgery to remove cataracts and has received new prosthetic lenses.   Banner, a 4-year-old Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) lives at the New Hampshire School of Falconry in Deering.   She had cataracts in both eyes for nearly two years and couldn't fly or hunt for the past two years.   On September 29, a veterinary team at Caves Animal Hospital in Deering sedated her, cut into each cornea, removed cloudy protein and implanted uniquely designed artificial lenses, and sewed the corneas shut.   Veterinarian opthalmologist Ruth Marrion performed the surgery in about an hour and the result was perfect.   A team of worldwide specialists designed the artificial lenses, made by Canadian manufacturer I-Med, and donated them to the New Hampshire surgical team.   The small lenses are only six millimetres long.   Anti-inflammatory eye drops are making sure the eyelids are not irritated by sutures in her corneas.   Lanner Falcons are native to the western Palearctic and africa.   To read more about Banner's prospects, go to care2.com and click on Animal Welfare.

Please comment if you wish.
BtheB

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It's so amazing that we can do cataract surgery on animals. My family pet is starting to have eye issues, and I think might be his cataracts, and it would be great if he could have the cataract surgery. It sounds like it was something success for Banner, and I would love to see the same success with my dog. Hopefully, I'll be able to find someone like Ruth Marrion in my area!

Sara Welsh | http://cataractsurgeryverobeach.com/cfiles/laser.cfm