Orbital exenteration and placement of a prosthesis in fish.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a procedure for orbital exenteration and prosthesis placement in fish. DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 5 cultured hybrid striped bass (Morone saxatilis x M chrysops) ranging from 30 to 50 cm in length. PROCEDURE: Exenteration was performed, using a dorsal approach in which blunt dissection was performed in the circumorbital sulcus. The orbit was then dried, and simple interrupted sutures were placed, leaving 2 suture loops within the orbit. The orbit was filled with polyvinylsiloxane, and a prosthetic glass eye was seated in the polyvinylsiloxane. RESULTS: All fish retained the prosthesis and had satisfactory cosmetic results at the end of the 8-week study period. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The increase in popularity of pet fish and abundance of valuable aquarium and show fish have led to heightened awareness of piscine ocular disease. Aquarium fish are often euthanatized because of disfiguring ocular problems. The technique described here for surgical exenteration and cosmetic orbital prosthesis placement in fish may extend the captive life of public display fish.