UC Davis Teams Up With Ohio State to Perform Groundbreaking Eye Surgery

A young wolverine at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens is seeing the world more clearly thanks to a groundbreaking veterinary eye procedure. Edward, a 2-year-old male wolverine, is now the first of his species to receive a custom-designed intraocular lens following cataract surgery—an achievement that required collaboration between zoo veterinarians, a wildlife ophthalmologist, and even a human optometrist.

Caretakers first noticed cloudiness in Edward’s eye earlier this year—a surprising find for such a young animal. After specialist evaluation, he was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. His right-eye cataract was surgically removed in August, but because no off-the-shelf lens exists for wolverines, that eye was left without a replacement, leaving him significantly farsighted.

Knowing Edward would eventually need surgery on the other eye, veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Kate Freeman worked with experts at UC Davis and The Ohio State University to engineer a solution. Using detailed measurements and custom calculations, the team produced a one-of-a-kind 100-diopter lens—far more powerful than lenses typically used in cats, dogs, or humans.

In November, the custom lens was successfully placed in Edward’s left eye, allowing him to regain much sharper vision. His veterinary team reports that he’s more confident, more responsive during training, and even outperformed his enclosure-mate, Molly, when a stray rodent wandered into their habitat—proof that his sight has meaningfully improved.

Today, Edward continues receiving daily eye care and is expected to live a full, healthy life under human care. With only about 30 wolverines in North American zoos and the species considered threatened in the wild, his case represents an exciting milestone in exotic animal ophthalmology.

Read the full original story from UC Davis:
“Wolverine Receives First-of-Its-Kind Custom Lens After Cataract Surgery.”