Horses With Eye Problems Receive Their Own Specialist
Photo courtesy of UC Davis
The UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital is pleased to announce the launch of the Equine Ophthalmology Service. In response to the increased demand for specialist consultations for equine eye cases, UC Davis has brought on a dedicated ophthalmology specialist to focus on horses. Previously handled by our top-notch team of multi-species ophthalmologists, horses with eye problems will now be seen by Dr. Mary Lassaline, DVM, PhD, MA, DACVO.
The new Equine Ophthalmology Service provides advanced diagnostics, as well as routine, complex and emergency medical and surgical care to horses with a variety of ocular disorders, including corneal ulcers, corneal and eyelid cancer, equine recurrent uveitis, cataracts, and glaucoma. Since starting the Service in late summer, Dr. Lassaline has hit the ground running and has already attracted a robust stream of patients.
“There certainly is no shortage of equine patients in need of advanced ophthalmology services, so there is a lot of potential to grow the service” said Dr. David Wilson, director of the VMTH. “We feel very fortunate to have recruited such a talented and experienced equine ophthalmologist as Mary to expand the services we can provide to referring veterinarians and horse owners.”
Dr. Lassaline earned her veterinary degree from Michigan State University, after which she completed a one-year medicine and surgery internship at the world-renowned Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Lassaline then completed a residency in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Florida. Following two years in private practice, she spent the last eight years developing and leading the equine ophthalmology program as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests span the breadth of equine eye problems, with a particular focus on equine corneal disease.
To learn more about UC Davis’ new Equine Ophthalmology Service, please see: www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/large_animal/equine/equine_ophthalmology.
About the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
The William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis—a unit of the School of Veterinary Medicine—provides state-of-the-art clinical care while serving as the primary clinical teaching experience for DVM students and post graduate veterinarian residents. The VMTH treats more than 47,000 animals a year, ranging from cats and dogs to horses, cows and exotic species. To learn more about the VMTH, please go to www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth. Timely news updates can be received on its Facebook (www.facebook.com/ucdavisvetmed) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/ucdavisvetmed) pages.
