Enucleation is an operation that involves removing an eye as a last resort when no other procedures will save the eye. We had one such operation today. A 12 year old cat was brought in a few days ago with a watery and swollen eye. The swelling was not due to pressure within the eye, but rather due to something taking up space behind the eye and pushing it forward. This could be as a result of a number od possibilities - the most likely being an abscess or a tumour. After a course of antibiotics, the swellling became worse which tended to rule out an abscess. Due to the costs involved, it was not possible for the owners to proceed with any diagnostic procedures such as an ultrasound or MRI scan as the cat was not insured.

The eye was now becoming uncomfortable as it was being pushed forward, so the decision was made to remove it. This was done and a large soft tissue mass was also removed from the eye socket. Again, histopathology was not performed due to the attendant costs, so we are not sure what type of tumour we are dealing with and whether or not it may spread to other parts of the body.

For the time being though, the cat is out of discomfort and the site of the enucleation has healed well.