Abstract

Completing a thorough physical ophthalmic exam on a marine mammal can be a difficult task. Problems often encountered are inappropriate lighting, lack of suitable ophthalmic equipment (biomicroscope, applanation tonometer, gonioscope, keratometer), positioning and restraint of the animal. Without anesthesia, it is difficult to position the animal for a long enough period of time to accurately asses the health of the cornea, anterior chamber, lens, and fundus. Indirect ophthalmoscopy can be performed, but a moving and blinking subject is difficult to examine. In addition to the normal ophthalmic procedure, the use of a high quality medical photographic lens and camera can provide the veterinarian with a high resolution image of the area to be examined. The veterinarian has a permanent dated record that can be analyzed in detail at any time. Normal and abnormal ophthalmic cases of California sea lions, Beluga whales, and Tursiops truncatus will be presented.