74 CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY. 



Excision of the Eyeball. — As this operation is a very pain- 

 ful one, some general anaesthetic should always be chosen, 

 except in cases where the eyeball has been forced out of the 

 socket and the posterior portion is exposed. In such in- 

 stances solution of cocaine (5 to 10 per cent.) answers very 

 well. After having applied the anaesthetic the eyeball itself 

 and its surroundings are washed with some non-irritant anti- 

 septic. The only instruments absolutely necessary are a fine 

 scalpel and forceps, with a sharp hook or pair of toothed 

 forceps to seize the eyeball with ; the latter can be impro- 

 vised by a needle and silk which is passed through the 

 structures of the eyeball and tied in the form of a loop. A 

 fine pair of curved scissors and a wire speculum are also of 

 advantage. 



The lids are held apart and the conjunctiva is divided along 

 its upper and lower borders, the eyeball is pulled out and 

 the recti muscles are divided as low down as possible ; the 

 last structures to be cut are the optic nerve and vessels at 

 the back of the orbit. Care must be taken to clear but the 

 cavity as neatly as possible 



A solution of some styptic, such as liq. ferri. perchlor. is 

 applied on a pad of wadding, the after-treatment consisting 

 merely in the application of antiseptics, a bandage being 

 used where it can be kept on. False eyes of glass, celluloid, 

 vulcanite, etc., of the necessary colour and size can be obtained 

 through an instrument maker or a naturalist, some having a 

 hollow posterior surface and others being solid. The choice 

 must be made in accordance with the condition of the orbit ; 

 sometimes granulations occur and almost completely fill up 

 the cavity, in which case an eye with a hollow back is not 

 so likely to cause irritation. The false eye should not be in- 

 serted for at least three or four months after the eyeball has 

 been removed in order to allow for complete healing and also 

 for a certain amount of contraction of the orbit which usually 

 takes place. During the first few days upon which it is 

 inserted the artificial eye should only be allowed to remain for 



