Generous surgery returns eyesight to toy poodle

Central Point, Ore — A deserving pup is getting a new perspective on life thanks to a few generous donations and the skilled hands of one visionary doctor.

“We met her and immediately she touched our hearts and we wanted to do everything we could to regain her vision,” said Dr. Cassandra Bliss.

Ava is an 8 year old toy poodle who suffers from cataracts, making her blind in both eyes until today.

“Due to the length of time that they had been there it actually caused secondary complications in one eye, the other eye however had good tests so we decided to take her to surgery today to remove her lens,” said Dr. Bliss.

Taking Ava from complete blindness to perfect sight in her right eye.

“We go in with a phacoemulsifier, a cataract machine essentially, that uses ultrasonic energy to break up the lens particles and that same machine aspirates out the lens material,” said Dr. Bliss.

The surgery isn’t cheap, and Ava doesn’t have a family. So Bliss Animal Eye Care, with help from Eye-Med offered to help her foster mom with the costs.

Giving the 7 pound poodle a new outlook on life.

“Our goal is, when she wakes up from anesthesia, she will wake up 20/20,” said Dr. Bliss.

Ava is up for adoption after recovering with the help of a medical technician and her foster family.

If you’re interested in seeing Ava you can contact the Klamath Animal Shelter.

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Matt Jordan is the Chief Meteorologist for KOBI-TV NBC5. Matt joined the NBC5 weather team in 2014 after a year as a reporter and anchor in Alexandria, Louisiana. His experience with the severe weather of the Deep South and a love of the Pacific Northwest led him to pursue a certification with Mississippi State University as a Broadcast Meteorologist. You can find Matt working in the evenings of NBC5 News at 5, 6 and 11 as well as online. Matt also has a degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon. In addition to being passionate about news and weather, Matt is a BIG Oregon Ducks fan. When not rooting for the Ducks or tracking down the next storm over the Pacific, Matt can be found outdoors in the Oregon wilderness with his wife, his daughter and their dogs Stanley and Gordi.
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