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Aim: To examine the use of prophylactic anti‐glaucoma medications in the normotensive fellow eye in dogs with unilateral overt primary glaucoma by veterinary ophthalmology clinicians. Methods: A survey of veterinary ophthalmology clinicians was distributed over two international list serves servicing veterinary ophthalmologists, trainees, and individuals whose practice consisted primarily of ophthalmic patients. The survey was developed following analysis of historical and currently available medical options for control of intraocular pressure and for neuroprotection. Results: Responses from 199 veterinary ophthalmology clinicians were evaluated. While a large variety of topical anti‐hypertensive drugs and protocols were used, the most commonly used medications were aqueous humor production suppressors such as dorzolamide 2.0% ophthalmic solution, timolol 0.5% ophthalmic solution, and a combination product containing both drugs. Latanoprost 0.005% ophthalmic solution was used infrequently for prophylaxis by comparison. The majority of respondents do not use concurrent anti‐inflammatory medications (61.22%), although a sizeable minority used prednisolone acetate, dexamethasone, or ketorolac as prophylactic treatment. Systemically administered ocular anti‐hypertensive agents were rarely used. Only 40% of respondents used neuroprotectant agents; the most commonly prescribed were the calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the nutraceutical Ocu‐Glo™. Recommended intervals between re‐examination by the clinician ranged from one month to one year, with most re‐evaluations occurring every 3 to 6 months. The majority of respondents recommended more frequent assessments of IOP at intervals between once monthly and once every 3 months. Conclusions: Data analysis of medical therapy for the normotensive fellow eye of dogs previously diagnosed with primary glaucoma suggests that there is a great need for well‐designed, prospective, controlled, multi‐center studies to determine which protocols have the greatest efficacy in delaying an overt attack in the previously normotensive eye in dogs with a genetic predisposition to glaucoma. Prospective studies utilizing a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor such as dorzolamide and a prostaglandin analogue such as latanoprost would be reasonable as these two drugs are widely used in the treatment of overt glaucoma and would allow for an exploration of the impact of different mechanisms of action of lowering IOP on the pathophysiology of primary glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the accuracy and precision of the Icare® TONOVET Plus rebound tonometer and the Tono‐Pen AVIA Vet™ applanation tonometer for intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement in normal ex vivo canine eyes and comparison to earlier models of these tonometers. Animals & procedures: The anterior chambers of six normal dog eyes were cannulated ex vivo. IOP was measured with the TONOVET (TV01), TONOVET Plus, Tono‐Pen Vet™, and Tono‐Pen AVIA Vet™ at manometric IOPs ranging from 5 to 70 mm Hg. Data were analyzed by linear regression, ANOVA and Bland‐Altman plots. A P value ≤.05 was considered significant. Results: Intraocular pressure values obtained using the TONOVET Plus and TV01 were significantly more accurate than with the Tono‐Pen VET and Tono‐Pen AVIA Vet, particularly at higher IOPs (30‐70 mm Hg). Accuracy was not significantly different between any of the devices in the low to normal physiologic IOP range (5‐25 mm Hg). Level of precision was high for all devices, though the TONOVET Plus was more precise than the Tono‐Pen Vet in the 5‐25 mmHg range and the TV01 was more precise than the Tono‐Pen AVIA Vet over the whole IOP range. Conclusions: All devices underestimated IOP, particularly at higher pressures. Rebound tonometers were more accurate over the full range of IOP tested and in the high IOP range; however, there were no significant differences in accuracy among devices in the physiologic IOP range. All tonometers can provide clinically useful IOP readings in dogs, but rebound and applanation tonometers should not be used interchangeably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare outcomes of surgical intervention and nonsurgical management of canine cataracts. Methods: Records of patients examined for cataracts from January 2007 to February 2018 were divided into two groups: nonsurgical and surgical. The nonsurgical group was further subdivided based on whether the decision not to pursue surgery was elected by owners, or based on ophthalmologist's advice. Inclusion criteria included 6 months of follow‐up. Success in the nonsurgical group was defined as a comfortable eye with no potentially painful complications, and success in the surgical group additionally required vision. Time‐to‐failure (complications) was assessed with Cox proportional hazards models. Results: A total of 72 eyes (41 dogs) were included in the nonsurgical group, and 126 eyes (67 dogs) were surgically treated. There was no difference in gender or age; however, the surgical group had significantly more diabetic eyes (56.3% vs 15.3%; P <.001) and patient eyes with longer follow‐up times (median 37.6 months vs 22.1 months; P <.001) than the nonsurgical group. There was no statistically significant difference in complication rates between the nonsurgical group (15/72 [20.8%]) and the surgical group (23/126 [18.3%]; HR: 2.22 [0.97, 5.0]; P =.060). However, the complication rate in the ophthalmologist‐led nonsurgical group was significantly greater than in the owner‐led nonsurgical group (P =.019) and the surgical group (P =.002). Conclusions: When using relevant outcomes, whether or not a cataractous eye has surgery does not affect long‐term complications; additionally, nonsurgical eyes that are poor surgical candidates have a higher complication rate than eyes deemed suitable for phacoemulsification for which owners elected not to pursue cataract surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The guidelines were developed to assist authors when planning studies and preparing manuscripts for submission to I Veterinary Ophthalmology i and to help ensure that manuscripts published in I Veterinary Ophthalmology i are of the highest ethical standards. I Veterinary Ophthalmolog i y is an international journal with international authors and readership. At the request of readership and supporting membership organizations, the Editorial Board of I Veterinary Ophthalmology i has created, and recently approved, the guidelines for ethical research in veterinary ophthalmology (GERVO). [Extracted from the article]

This study examined differences in physical activity (PA) estimates provided from raw and counts processing methods. One hundred and sixty-five children (87 girls) wore a hip-mounted ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days. Data were available for 129 participants. Time in moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA) were calculated using R-package GGIR and ActiLife. Participants meeting the wear time criteria for both processing methods were included in the analysis. Time spent in MPA (−21.4 min.d−1, 95%CI −21 to −20) and VPA (−36 min.d−1, 95%CI −40 to −33) from count data were higher (P < 0.001) than raw data. Time spent in MVPA between the two processing methods revealed significant differences (All P < 0.001). Bland-Altman plots suggest that the mean bias for time spent in MPA, VPA and MVPA were large when comparing raw and count methods. Equivalence tests showed that estimates from raw and count processing methods across all activity intensities lacked equivalence. Lack of equivalence and poor agreement between raw and count processing methods suggest the two approaches to estimate PA are not comparable. Further work to facilitate the comparison of findings between studies that process and report raw and count physical activity data may be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline neovascular vitreoretinopathy (FNV) is a newly recognized rare condition affecting kittens and young domestic cats. This study investigated the clinical and pathologic findings in 22 cats with FNV. In affected cats, ophthalmoscopy of the fundus (when visible) revealed avascular peripheral retinae and epiretinal vascular membranes. Frequent nonspecific clinical findings were buphthalmos (n = 21), medically uncontrollable glaucoma (n = 22), and lenticular abnormalities (n = 13). Anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD) was detected clinically in affected cats (n = 6). The fellow eye was affected in 11 of 18 cats to a variable degree or appeared clinically normal in 7 of 18 cats. The globes were examined histologically and using immunohistochemistry for vimentin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), synaptophysin, neurofilament, laminin, factor VIII–related antigen (FVIII-RA), and smooth muscle actin (SMA). Histologically, diagnostic features included laminin-positive epiretinal vascular membranes affecting the central retina, with an avascular peripheral retina and gliosis. Enucleated globes exhibited multiple additional abnormalities, including corneal disease (n = 15), anterior segment dysgenesis (n = 21), lymphoplasmacytic anterior uveitis (n = 19), peripheral anterior synechiae (n = 20), retinal degeneration (n = 22), and retinal detachment (n = 19). Gliotic retinae labeled strongly for GFAP and vimentin with reduced expression of synaptophysin and neurofilament, consistent with degeneration or lack of differentiation. While an avascular peripheral retina and epiretinal fibrovascular membranes are also salient features of retinopathy of prematurity, there is no evidence to support hyperoxic damage in cats with FNV. The cause remains unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the agreement between several activity measures using raw acceleration data from accelerometers worn concurrently on the dominant and non‐dominant wrist. Fifty‐five adults (31·9 ± 9·7 years, 26 males) wore two ActiGraph GT3X+ monitors continuously for 1 day, one on their non‐dominant wrist and the other on their dominant wrist. Paired t‐tests were undertaken with sequential Holm‐Bonferroni corrections to compare wear time, moderate‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA), time spent in 10‐min bouts of MVPA (MVPA10 min) and the average magnitude of dynamic wrist acceleration (ENMO). Level of agreement between outcome variables from the wrists was examined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC, single measures, absolute agreement) with 95% confidence intervals and limits of agreement (LoA). Time spent across acceleration levels in 40 mg resolution were also examined. There were no significant differences between the non‐dominant and dominant wrist for ENMO, wear time, MVPA or MVPA10 min. Agreement between wrists was strong for most outcomes (ICC ≥0·92) including wear time, ENMO, MVPA, MVPA10 min and the distribution of time across acceleration levels. Agreement was strong in the low acceleration bands (ICC = 0·970 and 0·922) with a mean bias of 3·08 min (LoA −55·18 to 61·34) and −5·43 (LoA −43·47 to 32·62). In summary, ENMO, MVPA, MVPA10 min, wear time and the distribution of time across acceleration levels compared well at the group level. The LOA from the two lowest acceleration levels suggest further work over a longer monitoring period is needed to determine whether outputs from each wrist are comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the effect of feline congenital glaucoma (FCG) on corneal sensitivity, and relationships between corneal sensitivity, central corneal thickness (CT), and corneal diameter (CD). Animals and Procedures: Corneal sensitivity (estimated by corneal touch threshold [CTT] using Cochet‐Bonnet esthesiometry); CT using ultrasonic pachymetry; intraocular pressure (IOP) using rebound tonometry; and maximal horizontal CD were measured in 16 normal and 14 FCG cats, both males and females, aged 7 months‐3.5 years. All procedures complied with an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee‐approved protocol. Data were analyzed by linear regression: paired Student's t tests for between‐eye comparisons, and unpaired Student's t tests for comparisons between groups. Relationships between parameters were evaluated by Pearson correlation coefficients and linear mixed effects modeling. For statistical tests, with the exception of values that were Benjamini‐Hochberg adjusted for multiple comparisons, P‐values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Mean CTT and CT values were lower in FCG eyes relative to normal eyes, but differences were not statistically significant. Mean CD was significantly larger in FCG eyes relative to normal eyes, and there was a significant negative correlation between CD and CTT in FCG (r = −0.8564, corrected P = 0.005). These associations were confirmed in linear mixed effects models. Conclusions: Eyes with FCG have significantly larger CDs when compared with normal eyes, and larger CDs correlated with decreased corneal sensitivity in this group. Further studies are warranted to explore the effect of buphthalmos and corneal enlargement on corneal sensitivity and innervation in feline subjects with chronic glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: To determine accuracy and precision of three commonly used tonometers (TonoVet® and TonoLab® (ICare Oy, Finland)—rebound tonometers, and Tono‐Pen VET™ (Reichert, NY)—applanation tonometer) in normal chinchillas, and to establish a normal intraocular pressure (IOP) reference range in this species. Methods: The anterior chambers of three chinchilla eyes were cannulated ex vivo and readings obtained at manometric IOPs from 5 to 80 mmHg, using each of the three tonometers in random order. Data were analyzed by linear regression, ANOVA, and Bland–Altman plots. Tonometry was performed in both eyes of 60 chinchillas (age 8 weeks–16.2 years) using the TonoVet® and relationship between age and IOP analyzed using linear regression. For all statistical tests, P < 0.05 was significant. Results: Intraocular pressure values obtained using the Tono‐Pen VET™ and TonoVet® (in dog calibration mode;‘d’) showed strong linear correlation with manometry within the physiologic and clinically relevant range of IOP (0–50 mmHg). The TonoVet® ‘d’ setting displayed significantly greater precision over the full range of IOP evaluated than the Tono‐Pen VET™, and both TonoVet and Tono‐Pen VET™ were significantly more accurate than the TonoLab® tonometer. Mean ± SD IOP (TonoVet® ‘d’) in chinchillas was 9.7 ± 2.5 mmHg, and the 95% reference interval was 4.7–14.7 mmHg. Conclusions: Both the Tono‐Pen VET™ and TonoVet® provided clinically acceptable estimates of IOP in chinchillas. The TonoVet® provides accurate and precise IOP values, while Tono‐Pen VET™ derived measurements showed greater variability. Values obtained either with the TonoLab® or TonoVet® used in the ‘unspecified’ calibration setting were inaccurate in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]