Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Third eyelid flap surgery to fix eye turning in two dogs
By Jeon, Byung-Ju & Kim, Joon-Young·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Department of Veterinary Ophthalmology, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Third eyelid flap for correction of proptosis-induced lateral strabismus in two dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old male Pomeranian and a 2-year-old female Bichon Frise both had issues with their eyes after their eyeballs were pushed out of place (proptosis), causing their eyes to turn outward (lateral strabismus). To fix this, veterinarians used a technique called a third eyelid flap, which involved stitching the third eyelid to the eye's surface. After some adjustments and a second surgery for the Bichon Frise, the Pomeranian's eye alignment was completely corrected in about six weeks, while the Bichon Frise had some minor eye misalignment but looked much better overall. Both dogs had their eye inflammation resolved after treatment.
People also search for: dog eye problems · Pomeranian strabismus treatment · Bichon Frise eye surgery · third eyelid flap for dogs · proptosis in dogs
Abstract
This case report describes the use of a third eyelid flap to correct proptosis-induced lateral strabismus in two dogs: a 3-year-old castrated male Pomeranian (Case 1) and a 2-year-old intact female Bichon Frise (Case 2). In both cases, the third eyelid was sutured to the dorsolateral conjunctiva using a horizontal mattress suture. However, conjunctival elongation at the suture site compromised flap function, necessitating reoperation. In Case 2, a second horizontal mattress suture was added to improve stability. Following reoperation, Case 1 achieved complete correction of lateral strabismus by day 42, with transient third eyelid protrusion and corneal thinning resolving within two weeks. In Case 2, mild residual strabismus remained, but cosmetic improvement was substantial, and third eyelid inflammation resolved similarly. These cases demonstrate the potential utility of a third eyelid flap as an adjunctive method for correcting lateral strabismus secondary to proptosis in dogs, offering a less invasive alternative to conventional incisional surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41018972/