A world first for Mossel Bay
Quinn, an 11-year-old clown triggerfish has re-grown an eye in the hollow socket from which her original diseased right eye was surgically removed.
A resident at the Shark Lab Aquarium at the Point in Mossel Bay, she underwent surgery on 4 May 2017 to remove her right eye, after she had developed exophthalmia or pop eye while boarding at another facility.
When antibiotic treatments proved unsuccessful, the Shark Lab director Alan Jardine approached Dr Pieter de Wet to remove the grossly enlarged eye.
Quinn had lost sight in this eye, which protruded from its socket, causing concern that she was experiencing pain from the condition.
Dr De Wet, veterinarian at the Mossel Bay Animal Hospital, removed the affected eye during a highly successful procedure, while Quinn was under anaesthesia.
It has been considered impossible for a fish to completely re-grow a functional eye.
Jardine said: “I first noticed the ‘embryonic’ eye thirteen months after surgery.” Today, eighteen months later, her eye, which may still not be completely developed, is immediately noticeable.
Since the growth of the new right eye, Quinn manoeuvres with more precision around the rock work in her exhibit and is able to locate her feeding stick with ease.
“Unless someone comes forward with documented evidence of a new eye developing in a fish, whose eye was completely removed, I must consider Quinn’s case to be a world first,” Jardine said, “or at the very least, the first documented case of such an occurrence.”
Jardine indicated that he is considering having Quinn’s protruding left eye removed during 2019. This eye, which was not as damaged as the original right eye, was left in place, as Quinn had limited sight through it. With the development of a new right eye, there is now no reason not to have it removed. If Quinn was able to grow one eye, it can be strongly argued that she will be able to replace her second eye as well.
“After the removal of her left eye, we will move Quinn to a separate area of the aquarium, which will become a mini-exhibit in its own right,”Jardine said. There will be a dedicated staff member permanently on duty at this exhibit to interact with the visitors.
Video clips of her operations and of her subsequent eye development will also be shown. Tickets to view Quinn in this new exhibit will be sold separately to entrance tickets to the rest of the Aquarium.
However, for the 2018 festive season, Quinn will remain in her current exhibit and can be viewed together with all of our other sea creatures at no extra charge, Jardine confirmed.