First Eye Surgery Performed On Falcon Successfully Restores Sight
St. Louis, MO, October 10, 2014 (Newswire.com) - A falcon in New Hampshire recently received laser eye surgery to remedy an eye condition called cataracts. A cataract is the clouding of the lens in the eye. It is often related to aging but can occur at any time. Most animals and humans are susceptible to developing this condition.
The 4-year-old falcon named Banner had lost its sight due to cataracts two years ago. The surgery was attempted because the bird was unable to fly or hunt. This is the first eye surgery to ever be performed on an animal.
On September 29, a surgical team from Capital Veterinary Emergency Services performed an hour-long procedure to remove the cataracts and insert artificial lenses that were six millimeters wide. The lenses were supplied by the Canadian ophthalmology manufacturer called I-Med. Professionals from Montreal, California, Ohio, Germany and Abu Dhabi were involved in the design of these lenses.
The surgical team donated their time to perform the operation for free. The owners of the falcon were extremely grateful. One of the falcon’s owners explained that they never believed the procedure could be done.
During recovery, the falcon will need anti-inflammatory eye drops for the next few weeks to ensure the corneas do not get irritated.
The surgeon on the falcon’s case stated that better than average vision will be considered a major success. If the surgery proves to be successful, the surgeon plans on performing similar procedures to help many other animals.
For more information about eye surgery and cataracts, contact Galanis Cataract & Laser Eye Center at 314.633.8575. Visit the website at www.drgalanis.com or in-person at 7331 Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63119.
