Ben was sent to us recently for removal of a thorn that had penetrated his eye. This was causing him a lot of pain and he was in danger of losing the eye. Thankfully, our Ophthalmology Team was able to remove the thorn with the help of an operating microscope.
Penetrating ocular foreign bodies can be difficult to treat and are often associated with other complications such as endophthalmitis and lens rupture. Removal requires use of an operating microscope and is facilitated by neuromuscular blockade – a specialist anaesthetic procedure used to paralyse the extraocular muscles and ensure a centralised globe. Some dogs need to undergo corneal surgical repair following foreign body removal and so microsurgical instrumentation and expertise needs to be on hand. Luckily for Ben, his thorn was straightforward to remove although he needs to be monitored closely for signs of endophthalmitis and cataract formation.
