28 Apr 2021
“Dry eye can be a devastating disease and PDT surgery offers hope to those when management with medicine fails” – Chris Dixon, Veterinary Vision.
James Westgate
Job Title
Cavalier King Charles spaniel Ben was referred to Veterinary Vision with a case of severe dry eye.
A dog that was struggling to see due to a painful eye condition has had its life transformed by an intricate procedure to reroute saliva to its eyes whenever it thinks about food.
Ben, a six-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel, was referred to Veterinary Vision in Penrith with a case of severe dry eye.
The patient wasn’t responding to medication, so Chris Dixon, an accredited advanced practitioner in veterinary ophthalmology, carried out the bilateral parotid duct transposition (PDT) to reroute some of his saliva on to his eyes.
Ben’s saliva production now increases whenever he thinks about or smells food, and allows for natural wetting of the eyes, which has significantly improved his comfort level and eyesight.
Mr Dixon said: “This procedure requires a general anaesthetic to carefully stitch the duct opening to the inside of the lower eyelid.
“There are multiple blood vessels and nerves that need to be avoided during the surgery, and the dissolvable stitch material used is as thin as hair.”
The PDT procedure is rarely used due to a range of effective drugs now being available to treat the condition, but in intractable cases like Ben’s, surgical intervention can be the only option.
Mr Dixon added: “Dry eye can be a devastating disease and PDT surgery offers hope to those when management with medicine fails.”
