Keratitis

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Sections available in full article Introduction, Presenting signs, Breed predisposition, Pathogenesis, Etiology, Pathophysiology, Sources, Publications, Vetstream contributor(s),
Contributors Dr Dennis E Brooks DVM PhD DipACVO
Dr David L Williams MA VetMB PhD CertVOphthal FRCVS

Introduction

  • Common condition, variable in presentation: ulcerative/non-ulcerative, vascular/avascular, inflammatory/non-inflammatory, traumatic/non-traumatic.
  • Cause : secondary vascularization of avascular cornea in response to insult, with or without surface ulceration. Further secondary changes possible, eg pigmentation, edema, alteration in corneal contour, calcium and lipid deposition.
  • Signs : ulceration, ocular discharge, red eye.
  • Diagnosis : examination (gross, ophthalmoscopic, slit lamp biomicroscopy), fluorescein staining, Schirmer tear test.
  • Treatment : topical antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, artificial tears, surgical support for cornea.
  • Prognosis : many progress to corneal perforation/endophthalmitis, so important to diagnose and treat correctly.

Sources

Publications

Refereed papers

  • Recent references from PubMed.
  • Tolar E L, Hendrix D V H, Rohrbach B W, Plummer C E, Brooks D E & Gelatt K N (2006) Evaluation of clinical characterisitics and bacterial isolates in dogs with bacterial keratitis: 97 cases (1993-2003). JAVMA 228 (1), 80-85 PubMed.

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