Introduction

• Enucleation (surgical removal of the globe) is required for a globe with a painful condition such as uncontrolled uveitis Eye: uveitis, panophthalmitis or glaucoma Eye: glaucoma, corneal rupture due to injury or disease, or to gain access to a retrobulbar abscess Eye: retrobulbar abscess.
• Occasionally enucleation is required to treat ocular or adnexal neoplasia.

Print off the factsheets on Eye abscesses and Surgery - post-operative care to give to your clients.

Uses

Advantages

• Removes a painful eye, improving the welfare and health of the rabbit, and usually allowing for discontinuation of medication.
• Allows access to and drainage of retrobulbar abscess.

Disadvantages

• Loss of sight.
• Orbital abscessation might recur despite better access to the area.
• General anesthesia involves a risk.
• More tissue is removed than with the transconjunctival method, and the post-operative appearance after the transconjunctival method is slightly better cosmetically.

Requirements

Preparation

Procedure

Aftercare

Outcomes

Prognosis

• Prognosis depends on the severity of the underlying cause.
• Guarded if retrobulbar abscess Eye: retrobulbar abscess.

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Moore B A, Robertson J, Tarbert E K et al (2020) A novel surgical technique for enucleation in rabbits to reduce the risks of intra and post-operative orbital haemorrhage. Vet Ophthal 23 (2), 409-413 PubMed.
• Myrna K E, Bentley E & Smith L J (2010) Effectiveness of injection of local anesthetic into the retrobulbar space for postoperative analgesia following eye enucleation in dogs. JAVMA 237 (2), 174-177 PubMed.
• Capello V (2008) Clinical technique: treatment of periapical infections in pet rabbits and rodents. J Exotic Pet Med 17 (2), 124-131 ResearchGate.
• Holmberg B J (2007) Enucleation of exotic pets. J Exotic Pet Med 16 (2), 88-94 VetMedResource.
• Williams D (2007) Rabbit and rodent ophthalmology. Europ J Comp Animal Pract 17 (3), 242-252 MediRabbit (pdf download).

Other sources of information

• Fehr M (2013) Eye and Eyelid Surgery. In: BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Surgery, Dentistry and Imaging. Eds: Harcourt-Brown F & Chitty J. BSAVA, UK. pp 233-253.
• Williams D (2012) Ophthalmology of Exotic Pets. Wiley-Blackwell, UK.