Diagnosis and surgical management of an intraocular foreign body secondary to ballistic wound in a Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) such as air gun pellet is a rare finding in wild animals like Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The purpose of the present scientific report is to describe the surgical retrieval of IOFB secondary to ballistic wound in a wild Rhesus macaque.

 Case description:

 A juvenile female wild Rhesus macaque was brought with the history of swollen and inflamed right eye for the past several days.

Findings/treatment and outcome:

 Clinical examination revealed presence of partially healed wound over the dorsal eyelid. Radiographic examination revealed the presence of a metallic foreign body inside the right orbit. Inflamed and persistently closed eyelid prevented the further localization of the metallic foreign body. Lateral canthotomy was performed under general anesthesia. Following the failure to recover the metallic foreign body from the ocular adnexa, right eye vitrectomy was performed to retrieve the IOFB. The metallic foreign body was recovered from the posterior chamber of the right eye. Due to the poor prognosis of the already damaged eye, enucleation of the eye was performed which was followed by tarsorrhaphy. Further examination of the foreign body identified it as a 4.5 mm (.177 Calibre) air gun pellet. Post-operatively animal was treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. The animal recovered uneventfully.

Intraocular foreign bodies secondary to gunshot wound should always be considered as a surgical emergency. Enucleation should be performed in cases having poor prognosis to avoid further complications especially in wild animals like Rhesus macaque.