Fora group of eye doctors in San Diego, an unusual patient was waiting to get help. It was a?three-year-old??western?lowland gorilla?from the SanDiego?Zoo Safari Park.?
Safari Park?employees noticed cloudiness in Leslie's left eye?last month.
Lesliewas given a muscle blocker to keep her still while a team that included vetsalong with anesthesiologists and an ophthalmology team from UC San Diego Healthremoved the cloudy lens and replaced it with an artificial lens.?
Thissort of cataract surgery on an animal was a first in medical history. The surgeon who performed the procedure, Chris Heichel, said that while he hadcarried out thousands of eye surgeries on human patients, this was his first ona gorilla.
Zoo officials said they suspect Leslie¡¯s cataract resulted from an injury, either from a fall or while playing with other young gorillas in her troop.??
¡°Fortunately,the similarities between the anatomy of human and gorilla eyes are great enoughto allow us to safely navigate the procedure without complication,¡± he said ina statement issued by the zoo.
¡°The the remainder of the eye appeared to be in excellent health, indicating exceptionallyvision potential for the rest of Leslie¡¯s life.¡±
A cataract is the clouding of the clear lens behindthe coloured part of the eye, known as the iris. Cataracts typically developover time, as part of the normal aging process, but they can also be caused bytrauma to the eye.? ?