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| C'sar surgery. |
The African bull elephant has had vision problems for many years and back in 2010 staff at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, US noticed that the 38-year-old's eyes were becoming increasingly cloudy.
He began to grow depressed and gradually lost 1,000 pounds, leaving his shoulder bones clearly visible. C'sar had cataract surgeries, perked up and started regaining weight, however when the natural lenses from both of his eyes were removed the pachyderm was left farsighted.
In order to improve his eyesight, zookeepers and the North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine are currently deciding whether it would be worth fitting him with corrective lenses. They are considering whether the risks would be worth it and if C'sar should be the world's first test subject of such a procedure. Richard McMullen, assistant professor of veterinary ophthalmology at NC State, who performed both of the earlier surgeries, claimed that lenses could significantly improve C'sar's wellbeing.
'In dogs, we have seen their quality of life increase,' he claimed, although later added that 'there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered,' before the procedure was given the go ahead.
C'sar has already been trained to position his eye between six-inch thick steel bars to receive eye drops, however the changing of contact lenses every three months could prove more difficult. - Metro UK
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