Widget's Eye Surgery

This is a day that we have been dreading, and one we hoped would never come.  Long-time blog readers may remember that blind Widget had eye surgery back in 2006 because of painful glaucoma in her left eye, and that our vet, Dr. Brenda Culver, put an intraocular prosthesis inside the eyeball itself.  This kept her "natural" look and that irresistible Widget face.

Ever since, we have monitored her right eye for signs of discomfort.  In particular, we worried about the luxated lens in that eye, which had flopped into the back of the eye but so far had not caused any problems; what we always looked for was whether the lens had flipped forward and was laying against the cornea, which would cause discomfort.  But what happened instead is that the retina in that eye has now detached, causing bleeding and debris to float around inside the chamber.  The pressure in her right eye remains low, meaning glaucoma is not an issue.  Instead, the real culprit is uveitis, which can be very painful.  And it was clear she needed relief.  Given the nature of the problem, surgery was the only effective way to provide that relief.

Widget's experience is yet another example of why we so often say that blindness is only a symptom of disease, not the end stage.  Too many people think that once an animal is blind, there isn't anything else that can or needs to be done, nothing more to worry about -- that a blind eye is, in effect, a "dead eye."  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  A blind eye may not be able to see, but it can feel just as much as an eye that can see -- and there are few organs in our bodies more sensitive to pain than the eye.   

In these photos I took this morning Brenda is looking at Widget while vet tech Jenny holds her:

We have done both enucleations (removing the eye altogether) as well as the prosthetic implants on many blind animals -- Briggs and Dusty were two who had the intraocular prosthetics inserted.  Both procedures ultimately remove the pain from the underlying problem in the blind eye.  But after going through both of these procedures so many times, we have carefully weighed the pros and cons of each approach. 

We have finally come to the conclusion that enucleation is a better alternative for the animal.  The procedure is simpler, the recovery is faster, and the degree of post-operative pain is significantly less than with the intraocular prosthetic.  Most important, the post-op pain ends much sooner.  There is also less risk of post-op complications; indeed, we almost lost Widget's prosthetic implant back in 2006, though quick intervention by Brenda saved the day.

So why do the prosthetic implants at all rather than enucleation?  Honestly, the only reason people opt for the implants is so their animals can keep their natural appearance -- those faces we know and love so much.  And that is why we have dreaded this day, because we knew we wouldn't put Widget through the prosthetic implant procedure again -- that if her right eye became painful and required surgery, we would opt for enucleation.  That meant she would never look the same ... her adorable, bug-eyed face would be changed forever.  

But that's about us, not her.  She didn't care what she looked like.  What was best for her?  What would be the least painful, fastest recovery?

I was fighting back tears in the exam room this morning when Brenda was looking at Widget's eye.  I knew what we were going to decide.  

Widget's enucleation is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday.  Please keep our little girl in your thoughts.

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Comments

[Jan from Winnipeg, Manitoba]

Thank you, Steve, for your honesty about Widget's surgery and your sadness. Thank you also for the reminder that our blind dogs' eyes need regular monitoring. Our hope is that Widget's pain will soon end and I am confident that her new look will be as endearing as her old one, just different.

[Cora Hellings]

Widget will always be beautiful. Just like humans, beauty is within the heart and soul...traits that Widget definitely has.... for which she has indeed affected many in the most positive way!

[Diane Bowlin]

Widget is in my thoughts and my prayer, and so are you guys for having to make such a hard decision. I hope all goes well tomorrow for that sweet little dog.

[Ev]

Best wishes for a painless recovery Sweet Widget. You are a cutie pie with or without those big eyes.
Hugs to you and your mom and dad. I think they will need it more than you will.

[Kay Stemnock]

Good luck tomorrow, dear Widge.

[Kate & Luke]

Oh Widget. I teared up reading this. Luke and I are hoping for her speedy recovery. We'll all love Widget even if she only has one bug eye!