Getty Images / Wolfgang Kaihler
Did you know that you get extremely uncomfortable when you get a rolling eyeball in your eye? You find yourself sitting there, rubbing it subconsciously, and the whole world just has to hang on for a minute because it’s so distracting.
Okay, imagine that, but instead of hands to regain loose hair, you have corners. And it’s not just a stray hair, it’s a whole bunch.
The “sick deer” report to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency produced a mixture of awe, disgust and harshness, thanks to the Tennessee deer found with corneal dermides – otherwise known as the hairy eyeballs.
In late August 2020, whitetail deer were found bleeding and mutilated in Ferragat, a suburb of Knoxville, East Tennessee. Animal control was forced to send deer, but the head was sent to the Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study Unit for analysis. SCWS of the University of Georgia Veterinarian).
When the deer was posthumously diagnosed with episodic hemorrhagic disease – an infectious and often fatal virus that afflicts whitetail deer – another notable aspect was discovered: the deer’s cornea was almost completely covered in hair discs.
Written by Dr Nicole Nemeth and research technician Michelle Willis, the SCWDS official report states that “in the case of this deer, corneal dermides often contain normal skin elements, including hair cells, sweat glands, collagen and fat.” Are benign (nonvensive) and congenital, possibly resulting in an embryonic developmental defect. “
It is therefore possible that the deer had these corneal dermoids for a long time, gradually worsening until its vision became almost blurred.
According to Sterling Daniels of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, “He might call the day out of the dark, but I don’t think he’ll be able to see where he’s going. I’ll compare it to covering your eyes with a washcloth. You can tell the day by night, but That’s about it. “
It is only the second deer to be documented with corneal dermoids.
