Both showed signs of normal growth and the ability to capture prey in the wild. Two turtles were re‐encountered a year or more after release. All turtles appeared to have improved vision following surgery and were eventually released. Minimal to no intraocular inflammation was seen in all cases following surgery, but all cases in which corneal sutures were used developed a marked inflammatory reaction surrounding the sutures and appeared uncomfortable until sutures were removed or sloughed. Surgical difficulties encountered included an extremely soft globe that did not allow for a partial thickness corneal incision, incomplete topical anesthesia of the ocular surface with proparacaine, inability to dilate the pupil pharmacologically, a markedly shallow anterior chamber, a thick posterior capsular plaque in most cases, and difficulty creating a watertight closure with sutures. All turtles had significant systemic abnormalities and had cataracts either at the time of rescue or developed them during rehabilitation. Only minor differences were found between the species in this study, reinforcing their phylogenetic proximity and their similar functions and habitats.Ĭataract removal using phacoemulsification was performed in 10 loggerhead turtles being rehabilitated after stranding. Sonography is a valuable tool in ophthalmic evaluation of these species. imbricata and Caretta caretta are believed to be due to their overall difference in size. Since there was a correlation between the size of the eye structures and the size of the individual, especially its carapace size, the differences found between E. The sonographic characteristics of the eye were similar among the four species.
B-mode sonography was easily performed in all animals studied. The scleral ossicles did not prevent the evaluation of intraocular structures, even with a rotated eye or closed eyelids image formation beyond the ossicles and measurements of all proposed structures were possible. The four species presented an ovate eyeball, a relatively thin cornea, and a small-sized lens positioned rostrally in the eye bulb, near the cornea, resulting in a shallow anterior chamber. A sonographic description of the eye structures was established. Carapace size and animal weight were recorded. Corneal thickness, scleral ossicle width and thickness, anterior chamber depth, axial length of the lens, vitreous chamber depth and axial globe length were measured by B-mode sonography with a linear transducer. The aim of this study was to describe ophthalmic ultrasonographic features of four different sea turtle species Caretta caretta (Loggerhead turtle n = 10), Chelonia mydas (Green turtle n = 8), Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill turtle n = 8) and Lepidochelys olivacea (Olive ridley n = 6) under human care. Environmental changes contribute to the development of ophthalmic diseases in sea turtles, but information on their eye biometrics is scarce.