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A case is presented of a 1‐year‐old Persian cat with a corneal sequestrum treated with a bidirectional corneoconjunctival transposition. The size of this lesion precluded use of a traditional corneoconjunctival transposition. At the time of writing, the patient maintained a clear visual axis with minimal scarring and no recurrence 6 months post‐operatively. This report describes a novel surgical technique used to successfully treat a large feline corneal sequestrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To determine the immediate and chronic effects of topical 0.1% diclofenac and 0.03% flurbiprofen on corneal sensitivity in normal canine eyes. Animals studied Eighteen normal, nonbrachycephalic dogs. Methods A prospective, randomized, masked, crossover study was performed. To determine the immediate effects associated with treatment, the study drug was instilled into the eye every 5 min for five doses, and corneal sensitivity of treated and untreated eyes was obtained prior to treatment and every 15 min post-treatment for 60 min. To determine the chronic effects, the study drug was instilled every 12 h for 30 days, and corneal sensitivity of treated and untreated eyes was obtained prior to treatment on days 0 and 30. A washout period of at least 30 days occurred between drug crossover. Ambient temperature and humidity were measured throughout the study. Results After multiple instillations, there was no difference in corneal sensitivity between eyes over time for diclofenac ( P = 0.67) or flurbiprofen ( P = 0.54), with a median sensitivity of 25 mm (1.8 g/mm2). After chronic dosing, there was no difference in corneal sensitivity between eyes over time for diclofenac ( P = 0.82) or flurbiprofen ( P = 0.56), with a median sensitivity of 35 mm (1.0 g/mm2). Decreasing ambient humidity was associated with an increase in sensitivity measurements ( P = 0.0001). Conclusions Neither diclofenac nor flurbiprofen had an effect on corneal sensitivity after multiple-drops or twice-daily dosing for 30 days. Ambient humidity may have an effect on corneal sensitivity measurements, with a longer filament length eliciting a blink response at lower humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare rates of retinal detachment ( RD) postphacoemulsification in American Bichon Frises with and without prophylactic retinopexy. Procedures Medical records of 54 Bichon Frises undergoing phacoemulsification with or without prophylactic retinopexy between 2003 and 2013 in one or both eyes were reviewed from five Midwestern university veterinary teaching hospitals. Inclusion criteria were preoperative ERG, at least 6 months of follow-up postphacoemulsification, and the absence of preexisting RD as determined by ophthalmic examination and/or ultrasound. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-squared test, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Wilson confidence intervals with the P-value <0.05 were considered significant. Results Phacoemulsification was performed without retinopexy in 79 eyes (42 dogs, non- PR group) and with prophylactic retinopexy in 23 eyes (12 dogs, PR group). Incidence of diabetes mellitus was 10/42 and 3/12 in the non- PR and the PR groups, respectively ( P = 0.93). Intraocular lens implantation was performed in 40/42 non- PR dogs and 11/12 PR dogs ( P = 0.63, 73/79 vs. 21/23 eyes). At final re-examination, RD occurred in 4/79 eyes without retinopexy, compared to 0/23 RD in the retinopexy group. There was no statistically significant difference in RD rates between the two groups ( P = 0.27). Conclusions These data provide no statistical evidence to support prophylactic retinopexy in Bichon Frises. Due to the low rate of retinal detachment following phacoemulsification without prophylactic retinopexy, the procedure appears to offer limited benefit to offset cost, procedural risk, and risk of extended or repeated anesthesia in Bichon Frises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To compare the diagnostic quality of computed tomography ( CT) images of normal ocular and orbital structures acquired with and without the use of general anesthesia in the cat. Animal Studied Eleven privately owned cats with nasal disease presenting to a single referral hospital. Procedures All cats received a complete ophthalmic examination. A 16 multislice helical CT system was utilized to acquire images of the skull and neck with and without the use of general anesthesia. Images were acquired before and after the administration of intravenous iodinated contrast. Images of normal ocular and orbital structures were evaluated via consensus by two board-certified radiologists. Visibility of ocular and orbital structures, degree of motion, and streak artifact were assessed and scored for each image set in the transverse, dorsal, and sagittal planes. Results The use of general anesthesia did not significantly affect the diagnostic quality of images. No motion artifact was observed in any CT image. Streak artifact was significantly increased in scans performed in the transverse orientation but not in the dorsal orientation or sagittal orientation and did not affect the diagnostic quality of the images. Contrast enhancement did not significantly enhance the visibility of any ocular or orbital structures. Conclusion Diagnostic CT images of normal ocular and orbital structures can be acquired without the use of general anesthesia in the cat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To describe the outcome of canine spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCED) treated with diamond burr debridement (DBD) and bandage contact lens placement (BCL). Animal studied Forty eyes of 36 dogs presenting to a single private practice. Procedures A retrospective review of medical records was performed. Cases were eligible for inclusion if they were newly diagnosed with SCCED by a veterinary ophthalmologist and treated with DBD/BCL. All patients received a complete ocular examination followed by DBD using a battery-powered, handheld motorized burr (Algerbrush®, Alger Equipment Company, Lago Vista, TX, USA). A BCL was placed post-debridement in all patients. Data were analyzed for sex, age, breed, duration of clinical signs prior to DBD; number of debridements required before healing was achieved; contact lens retention, complications attributed to DBD, and additional surgical interventions were required to achieve healing. Results The median time to first recheck examination was 7 days (IQR 7-9 days) with 28/40 (70%) of cases healed at this examination. The mean time to second recheck examination was 15.5 ± 5.5 days with 37/40 (92.5%) healed by this examination. The median time to final recheck examination was 19 days (IQR 18-35.5 days) with a range of 18-52 days. All cases resolved by the third and final recheck examination. A second DBD/BCL was performed in 5/40 (12.5%) of cases. The BCL retention rate was 95% over all examination time points. No case required a keratectomy or other surgical intervention to achieve healing. The only complication observed was one case of suspected bacterial keratitis post-DBD/BCL. Conclusions Results suggest that DBD/BCL is safe and effective for treatment of canine SCCED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tonometry, the estimation of intraocular pressure (IOP), is an essential component of ophthalmic examination. Understanding of this diagnostic tool is limited in chelonians. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two methods of tonometry for estimation of IOP in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) and report values for corneal sensitivity measured by corneal aesthesiometry. Adult red- eared slider turtles (n = 6) were manually restrained for tonometry; rebound and applanation tonometers were used. Corneal aesthesiometry was performed with the use of a Cochet-Bonnet corneal aesthesiometer. Median IOP estimated with applanation tonometry was 31.5 mmHg (25-75%: 24.3-38.3 mmHg, min-max: 9-58 mmHg) OD and 23.5 mmHg (25-75%: 17.8-34.8 mmHg, min-max: 10-58 mmHg) OS. Mean IOP estimated with rebound tonometry with non-species-specific calibration was 6.1 mmHg (SD: 2.3 mmHg, min-max: 3-9 mmHg) OD and 5.7 mmHg (SD: 1.3 mmHg, min-max: 2-9 mmHg) OS, with canine-specific calibration it was 9.2 mmHg (SD: 1.8 mmHg, min-max: 5-14mmHg) OD and 10.2 mmHg (SD: 1.5 mmHg, min-max: 7-12 mmHg) OS, and with equine-specific calibration it was 9.1 mmHg (SD: 0.9 mmHg, min- max: 8-13 mmHg) OD and 8.4 mmHg (SD: 1.2 mmHg, min-max: 5-11 mmHg) OS. There was poor level of agreement between applanation and rebound tonometers. Median corneal touch threshold was 6 cm (25-75%: 4.5-6 cm, min-max 0.5-6.0 cm). Results show that red-eared slider turtles have high corneal sensitivity and that both applanation and rebound tonometry are feasible in this species; however, more precision was noted with the rebound tonometer. Collecting serial measurements with the use of the same device is recommended to limit the potential for misclassification bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe a protocol for the examination of free-living raptors and report the ophthalmic examination findings of seven raptor species native to central Illinois, namely the barred owl, Cooper's hawk, eastern screech owl, great horned owl, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, and turkey vulture and to determine if the findings relative to visual prognosis affected eligibility for future release. Animals studied: Seventy-nine free-living raptors. Procedures: Under manual restraint, complete ophthalmic examination including slit-lamp biomicroscopy and indirect funduscopy, applanation tonometry, rebound tonometry, ocular morphometrics, B-mode ultrasound, and electroretinography (ERG) were performed on each bird. Histopathology of enucleated globes was performed after euthanasia or death in selected cases. Results: The examination protocol was easily performed using manual restraint alone on all birds. Ocular lesions were detected in 48.1% of birds, with 47.3% affected unilaterally and 52.6% affected bilaterally. Ocular lesions were considered to be vision threatening in 29.0% of the unilaterally affected birds and 29.0% of the bilaterally affected birds. The most common case outcomes were discharge from hospital to rehabilitation facility (45.6%) followed by euthanasia (43.0%). The presence of an ocular lesion or a vision-threatening ocular lesion was not significantly associated with outcome. Reference ranges are reported for B-mode ultrasound, ocular morphometrics, and horizontal corneal diameter in all species. Conclusion: Complete ophthalmic examination can be supplemented by the use of ocular morphometrics, ultrasound, and ERG in the manually restrained raptor. These advanced diagnostic techniques may be useful in developing more objective criteria for evaluating eligibility for release following rehabilitation of free-living birds of prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although canine ocular onchocerciasis has been well described as an emerging pathogen of dogs in Europe and North America over the past 20 years, there are no previous reports of feline ocular onchocerciasis. This report details the clinical, histopathologic, and molecular diagnosis of two domestic short hair cats residing in the United States infected with Onchocerca lupi causing episcleritis and orbital cellulitis. The results of this report suggest that O. lupi is a newly recognized disease of domestic cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 8-year-old male castrated Domestic Short-haired cat was examined for a 1-week history of blepharospasm and mucoid ocular discharge OS. Examination revealed ulcerative keratitis with stromal loss, stromal infiltrate, corneal edema, perilimbal vascularization and miosis. Cytology of the cornea revealed multiple dichotomously branching, septate fungal hyphae and severe, predominantly neutrophilic inflammation. PCR of the cytology samples confirmed the presence of Aspergillus flavus while fungal and bacterial cultures were negative. Treatment with topical 1% voriconazole solution was successful in resolving the keratomycosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]