cow vs pig

[mdneale]

I've been charged with getting eyes for a wet lab. Is there any consensus on whether bovine or ursine eyes are most analogous to human?

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[Visionary]

I've been charged with getting eyes for a wet lab. Is there any consensus on whether bovine or ursine eyes are most analogous to human?

You should get the cheapest and easiest ones to come by. I worked with both in residency, and the only real difference seems to be the size (cow>pig). They both differ from human, particularly when it comes to the feel of the anterior capsule. It's very rubbery, even more so than a child's. Makes performing a capsulorhexis difficult and very different from that on an adult human eye. You can do it, but you'll be pulling to the center a lot. Sometimes, you're better off using a can-opener approach. If you have a microwave (that is NOT used for food!), nuking one for a few seconds (no more than 5, or it will explode!) can produce a more realistic cataract that can even be used for phaco practice. Otherwise, you'll essentially have to resort to I&A, unless you're extracapping.

 

[mdneale]

Thanks for the info.

Actually, I'm going to try a published technique for rapidly inducing cataract and reducing capsular elasticity in pig eyes. The authors injected 0.2 mL of various mixtures of ethanol, 2-propanol, and formalin via a 30 gauge needle. The best mix was 4:3:3 (formalin:2-propanol:ethanol). The maturation takes about 15 minutes.

Takeshi Sugiura, MD, Daijiro Kurosaka, MD, Yasushi Uezuki, Shuichiro Eguchi, MD, Hiroto Obata, MD, Tadashi Takahashi, MD. Creating cataract in a pig eye. J Cataract Refract Surg 1999; 25:615–621

 

[odwire usa]

pigs are ok. You could even feed some for experiment

 

[bucknut101]

Pig and cow are pretty similar. Also, always try to use fresh eyes. Freezing them makes the tissue even tougher.

 

[Stark]

Whatever the local butcher has - take it. I've used both - pig eyes are a little better sized.