Cleveland Ophthalmologist performs cataract procedure on 1lb monkey

AKRON, Ohio, June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. William Wiley, Medical Director of the Cleveland Eye Clinic and Clear Choice Laser Eye Center partnered with the Akron Zoo after it was discovered that one of the Zoo's golden lion tamarins, Ana, had developed cataracts. "Veterinary ophthalmologists have lots of experience working with animal cataracts but since this animal is a primate, the Akron Zoo felt there would be significant crossover to human anatomy and a human ophthalmologist could aid in the care," said Dr. Wiley.

On June 3^rd Dr. Wiley partnered with Akron Zoo staff, and Dr. Emily Conway, veterinary ophthalmologist at Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists and their staff to perform cataract surgery to improve Ana's vision. "To the best of our knowledge, cataract surgery has never been performed on a primate with a similar size of a golden lion tamarin," said Dr. Emily Conway. Ana weighs in at a mere 1.25lbs.

Golden lion tamarins are endangered monkeys in the wild. To keep her safe, Ana was removed from her exhibit at the zoo when it was discovered that she was having visual problems. Dr. Wiley went to the zoo to perform Ana's surgery. "Cleveland Eye Clinic's micro-instruments were used for the surgery, and we even had to fashion new instruments to fit in Ana's eyes. While tamarin eyes have similar anatomy of humans, it took more care and precision working on a much smaller scale with Ana," reported Dr. Wiley.

"Thanks to recent advancements in technology, medicine delivery in this case helped assure a positive outcome for Ana. Ana does not have the ability to self administer post operative eye drop medication, thus modern technology was utilized for her. There are recent advancements in cataract surgery that have allowed us to administer compounded medications to drastically reduce or eliminate the need for eye drops after surgery. These techniques were used in Ana's case," added Dr. Wiley.

After a successful surgery Dr. Wiley shared, "I'm an animal lover, it was easy for me to say yes when asked to help a primate in need of eye care. Animals in need of medical care tug on our heart strings in unique ways. In these instances, animals in need truly rely on our intervention as there is no other avenue of assistance.  Humans typically have loved ones, friends and or community who can intervene in times of need, while animals with health conditions are in a state of helplessness. This allows and calls for unique measures of intervention. Furthermore, as a member of the north-east Ohio community it was easy to volunteer time and expertise to help care for a "member" of a community institution which many people benefit from daily."

The zoo is closely monitoring Ana and we hope to see her back on exhibit soon.

The Cleveland Eye Clinic has offices in Avon, Beachwood, Bedford, Cleveland, Elyria and a state of the art main campus in Brecksville, Ohio. At The Cleveland Eye Clinic the doctors put patient care and comfort first.  Having performed upwards of 75,000 procedures and bringing a combined 144 years of experience, the doctors at The Cleveland Eye Clinic were among the first in the area to offer all laser LASIK using the intralase femtosecond laser. We were also among the first doctors in the country to offer ORA intraoperative wave front aberrometer with VerifEye as well as Vitreolysis for the removal of eye floaters. The Cleveland Eye Clinic doctors are nationally and internationally recognized for their educational lectures and teaching efforts. Both doctors and patients come from all over the globe to experience the work of our surgeons.

SOURCE Cleveland Eye Clinic