bunny eye removal

Question
Hello,

I have a one year old male rabbit. I took him to the vet in November because his eye looked "cloudy." Yesterday I noticed the eye looking bigger with a film of white on it and called the vet. I was told he is in pain and needs his eye out immediately. Did they miss something 3 months ago? Will the bunny be ok with only one eye? Thanks

Answer
Dear Erin,

Many bunnies live just fine with only one eye.  If the vet is experienced with both rabbits and ophthalmology, then trust the diagnosis.  Whether the eye needs to be removed depends on what exactly is wrong.  Conditions that can cause eye pain include an intra-ocular abscess, glaucoma (not a direct cause, but glaucoma is often coupled with the development of cataracts), uveitis.  Some of them are treatable with medication, but others are not, and if the bunny is obviously squinting and showing pain in the eye, then the only kind option would be enucleation (removal) of the eye.

If you are not sure about this diagnosis, it would be wise to seek a second opinion from a rabbit-savvy vet, or--even better--from a veterinary ophthalmologist.  You can find experienced rabbit vets here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

and one may be able to refer you to a good ophthalmologist who can give you the final word.

I hope this helps.

Dana