Brightman has now performed the cataract surgery on four tigers. Brightman also has removed cataracts from an African lion and a mountain lion, as well as domestic pets including dogs and house cats. Cataract removal is the most common ocular surgery performed on dogs. Cataracts usually develop in animals when they are quite young, he said. Our best guess in T.C.'s case was that their formation was linked to nutrition.
Cataracts are often a problem in great cats which are hand-raised.
Some milk replacers may be deficient in certain amino acids, leading to the formation of cataracts, Brightman said. Although her near-vision still will be impaired, she should be able to see movement and shapes at a close range. That should make a big difference to T.C., who, prior to the surgery, bumped into things when she moved because of her poor eye sight. Restoration of full sight wasn't possible in T.C.'s case, Brightman said, because artificial lenses currently aren't made large enough to fit a tiger's eye. In most cases, particularly depending on the age of the pet, eye problems should be treated, Brightman said.