Nictitating Membrane Removal: A Surgical Procedure to Remove Nictitating Membrane from Rabbit Eye

Begin by bilaterally removing the nictitating membrane. Use a micropipette to apply 25 microliters of preservative-free 1% lidocaine to the eye, and insert a lid speculum between the eyelids. Grasp the nictitating membrane at its apex with 0.3 forceps and pull it over the corneal surface, then, inject approximately 0.3 milliliters of 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine into the subconjunctival space using a 26-gauge needle. This will form a modest-sized bleb over the nictitating membrane.

Remove the wire speculum and wait approximately five minutes for the lidocaine and epinephrine to take effect. Meanwhile, perform the same procedure on the other eye. When ready, replace the wire speculum. Grasp and extend the nictitating membrane over the corneal surface with the forceps, and cut the membrane at its base with tenotomy scissors. Remove the wire speculum and place topical antibiotic ointment over the corneal surface.