Refractive Surgery Blog

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Orangutan Undergoes Cataract Surgery in Sarawak


According to a recent report by the Associated Press, a 19-year-old, 330 pound orangutan named Aman underwent bilateral cataract surgery last week on the Island of Borneo. The procedure took about two-and-a-half hours and was performed by a veterinarian ophthalmologist from South Africa. Aman had apparently been suffering from poor vision for about seven years. While cataract surgery has been performed on many other animals, this was the first performed on an orangutan. Orangutans live upwards of 45 years and this surgery was seen as a benevolent act.

Details of the surgery were not reported and it was not clear whether intraocular implants were used to replace the great ape's cloudy lenses.

Stuart Lewis, MD
http://www.cherrycreekeye.com/cataracts.html

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posted by Stuart Lewis, MD at 10:15 AM

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