Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone growth inside eye of old red-tailed hawk after injury
By Wells, Taylr et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2025·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intraocular osseous metaplasia in an older red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 24 years following traumatic injury to the globe.
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A 26-year-old female red-tailed hawk was brought in with chronic changes in her left eye, likely from a past injury that caused blindness. The vet found a large mass inside the eye and signs of inflammation, leading to a decision to remove the eye (enucleation). After surgery, tests showed that the mass was made of bone and fat tissue, not cancer, which was unusual for a bird. Although a special graft was used to help with healing, it did not fully integrate, but the wound healed well nonetheless.
People also search for: red-tailed hawk eye injury · bird eye surgery recovery · avian eye problems treatment
Abstract
An approximately 26-year-old, suspected female, red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was presented with a history of chronic ocular changes of the left eye likely secondary to blunt trauma resulting in blindness and phthisis bulbi. Ophthalmic evaluation of OS revealed a large intraocular mass, 3+ aqueous flare indicating anterior uveitis, and severely decreased intraocular pressure measuring 5 mmHg. Ocular ultrasound revealed an abnormal, spherical shaped and hyperechoic lens, as well as hyperechoic material or a mass lesion in the posterior segment. An enucleation procedure was performed, and histopathology of the eye revealed no signs of neoplasia but instead intraocular osseous metaplasia with bone marrow and adipose tissue replacing the lens. Similar mass lesions were found in the retina and choroid. Multiple fractures in the scleral ossicle and cartilage correlated the intraocular lesions with a blunt traumatic event. A bioresorbable disk of porcine small intestine submucosa (BioSIS Vetrix®) was incorporated to relieve tension during closure. The graft sloughed during healing process, revealing a healed wound underneath. The BioSIS was not incorporated into the wound as designed but may have facilitated healing. This is the first report of intraocular osseous metaplasia in a raptor and the use of BioSIS Vetrix® with enucleation in an avian species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39229860/