Keratitis
This is the inflammation of the
.
Keratitis occurs when the surface epithelium is lost following corneal injury or secondarily to inner eye inflammation such as glaucoma or uveitis.
Signs and symptoms include pain, excessive tearing, squinting & aversion to
.
Superficial keratitis is recognized by loss of transparency of the cornea, it will appear dull, hazy, and cloudy and covered by a bluish-white film.
Ulcerative Keratitis occurs when an infection happens. Purulent discharge runs from the eye.
Treatment is the same as corneal ulcers.
The Inner Eye
Uveitis
Uveitis is inflammation of the vascular (uveal) tissue inside the eye which includes the iris, ciliary body & the choroid. Uveitis is the leading cause of . There are many causes of uveitis including trauma, secondary to systemic disease or immune mediated. The most common causes are & onchocerciasis. Signs include pain, redness, edema, tearing, squinting, cloudiness of the cornea or ocular fluid, small or constricted pupil, photophobia and iris colour changes. Behaviour changes may occur such as acting spooky, bumping into things and reluctance to enter dim areas. is when uveitis occurs over & over due to a trigger of the immune system. It is also possible that the uveitis is a low-grade ongoing inflammation that never heals. Permanent damage to the internal eye structures will occur. Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) or ERU signs and symptoms include the above S&S as well as the iris becoming stuck to the lens, cataract formation, corneal scarring, retinal detachments, retinal scarring & retinal or optic nerve degeneration. These changes will ultimately lead to blindness.
Predispositions to ERU include
and the region of NY due to leptospirosis
exposure.
Treatment includes topical steroids, oral NSAIDs & drops to dilate the pupil.
Horses suffering with ERU, treatment is to control the inflammation as there is no cure for ERU. Surgery to remove permanently blind & inflamed eyes is recommended.
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