Vets grasp thorny problem to save cat’s eye

Emergency surgery has saved the sight of a two-year-old cat after a 2cm thorn pierced his eye.

Vets at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull operated on the domestic shorthair cat, named Oberon, following an urgent referral.

Although Oberon has recovered well, ophthalmology specialist Alberto Palella Gomez said it had been a “race against time” to repair the damage, which could have been even worse.

‘Very lucky’

He said: “The injury had caused severe inflammation and increased pressure in the eye and without prompt surgery Oberon would have lost the injured eye as a result of this ocular hypertension.

“He was very lucky, though. An ultrasound scan showed the stick had stopped just before his lens, which was a lucky escape.

“If the foreign body had perforated the lens, cataract surgery would have been necessary, too.”

Dr Gomez said pressure in the injured eye normalised after the operation to repair the injury with a corneal graft, which integrated well into the eye.