There's nothing unusual about cataract surgery - unless the patient happens to be a goose.
A domestic goose rescued near Logan traveled to Cottonwood Tuesday for a little TLC from the only Animal Eye Care specialists in the state.
It's somewhat odd to see a goose getting an eye exam. Dr. Paul Barrett at Eye Care for Animals spends most his days with dogs and cats, but has helped everything from shrews to elephants.
"We do donate our time for the zoo, the aviary, and the wildlife rehabilitators. Because it's fun for us it gives us opportunities to do things and provides services that are otherwise unavailable," says Dr. Barrett.
Tuesday, this goose is going under so he will have a fighting chance back in the wild. Just like a human, the animal is put to sleep - it takes about 10 minutes.
"We're going to make a small incision here at the edge of the cornea and when the pupil is dilated we'll get in to this and enter the eye with an ultrasonic vibrating needle that breaks it into little tiny pieces," explains Dr. Barrett.
The cataract - that cloudy substance over the lens of the eye is basically sucked out. The procedure may use the same tools and look similar to that of a human surgery, but it's not.
"It's different because the eye is put together differently, they have different depths to the eye and different powers of the lenses as well as the cornea," adds Dr. Barrett.
Because of this kind of specialized care, not only do doctors here get asked to volunteer their talents all over the country, but people drive up to 300 miles just to have their pets helped.
Barrett says, "Every patient that comes in here is a member of these people's family and we look at them exactly that same way. That's how we feel about them and that's how we treat them."
The surgery on the goose's two cataracts took about 90 minutes. If all goes well with his recovery, he will be released back into the wild.
If you would like more information about Eye Care for Animals, go to
www.eyecareforanimals.com. The Cottonwood location is at 1892 East Fort Union Blvd.
