“We can take a horse that would have gone blind, and give it a chance to keep its vision,” veterinary ophthalmologist Eric Storey says. “That’s tremendous.”
Storey jokes that his line of work is “anything that has an eye and that’s not a human,” but he’s actually part of a fast-moving field of veterinary medicine that has possible implications for human health as well. Since the 1990s, research in veterinary ophthalmology has progressed significantly, particularly concerning conditions like canine glaucoma, an aggressive ailment for most dogs, and equine uveitis, a leading cause of blindness in horses.
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Storey has personally contributed to some of the breakthroughs. As a resident at the University of Saskatchewan, he was part of a team making major strides in the treatment of the canine glaucoma. Storey was charged with researching and developing a valve that allows the proper, sterile drainage of fluid building up in a dog’s eye. He was successful, and a patent is under way with the possibility of broad distribution.
In 2006, he collaborated with European veterinarians to perform the first equine vitrectomy at LSU to treat uveitis. It successfully restored the sight of the horse until the end of its natural life. Storey’s research in uveitis has tremendous potential economic impact, particularly in a horse-rich state like Louisiana. He has also performed several retinal reattachments, a relatively new procedure in veterinary ophthalmology.
A native of Florida and graduate of Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Storey was first drawn to the field through the hobby of falconry as teenager. The combination of a love for animals and the “puzzle of medicine” appealed to him. In addition to his research at the vet school, Storey consults with the Baton Rouge and Audubon zoos, recently performing cataract surgery on a sea lion.
Despite his vast accomplishments in academia and medicine, Storey says he had always regretted not having time to volunteer for the military. This year, the U.S. Army’s only veterinary ophthalmologist retired. Storey joined the Army Reserves in May, and now he fills the post.
Age: 35
If you could have a job other than your own, what would it be? “The pilot of a bush plane or float plane in some place like Alaska.”
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