This one-eyed fellow is an Eastern Screech Owl, admitted to New England Wildlife Center a month ago after being found in Middleboro. He did not arrive with one eye, but was instead brought into our hospital weak, with obvious head and eye trauma. As our veterinary staff performed our initial evaluation, his left eye was found to be abnormally shaped, half closed, and with fluid behind the cornea. He was quickly seen by an ophthalmologist who determined the eye was too severely damaged to recover. With such a diagnosis, the owl needed to have the eye removed to prevent infection and other future maladies.
To remove the owl’s eye, our veterinary staff performed an evisceration of the eye. An evisceration aims to remove the majority of eye content, leaving only the extra-ocular muscles and scleral shell (whites of the eye) in tact. The eye was successfully removed, and he has been recovering in our Hospital ever since. As we continue his care he is currently receiving nutritional support and SQ fluids until he is able to eat on his own. He is receiving antibiotics to prevent infection, and meloxicam to manage inflammation and pain as he continues to recover.
With this type of injury, release back into the wild is not an option. Without an eye the Screech Owl with be severely disadvantaged, and may find it difficult to find and catch food. In order to provide the owl with the best possible living conditions he will be transported to a wildlife sanctuary once he is fully healthy. We expect him to live a long and happy life.