Central corneal thickness in koi fish: effects of age, sex, body length, and corneal diameter

OBJECTIVE: To establish the central corneal thickness (CCT) of normal koi fish by ultrasonic pachymetry, and its relationship to age, sex, body length and corneal diameter. METHODS: Age, sex and body length of 33 koi fish (17 male and 16 female fish) were recorded. Horizontal and vertical corneal diameters of each eye were obtained using Jameson calipers. Central corneal thickness of all eyes was measured by ultrasonic pachymetry. Intraocular pressure (IOP) by rebound tonometry was obtained for a subgroup of nine koi (18 eyes). RESULTS: Mean central corneal thickness was 325.9 microm. Central corneal thickness of female koi was greater than CCT of male fish (P < 0.01). Central corneal thickness increased with increasing age overall and within both sexes (P < 0.01). Central corneal thickness increased with increasing body length (P < 0.001). For male and female fish, CCT increased with increasing horizontal and vertical corneal diameters (P < 0.01). Mean horizontal corneal diameter (HCD) was 8.05 mm, mean vertical corneal diameter (VCD) was 7.38 mm, and HCD was consistently greater than VCD. Mean IOP of a subgroup of these koi was 4.9 mmHg by rebound tonometry. CONCLUSIONS: Koi CCT increases with increasing age, body length and corneal diameter.     

The use of porcine small intestinal submucosa for the repair of full-thickness corneal defects in dogs, cats and horses

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of using a porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) graft covered by a conjunctival flap for the surgical repair of full-thickness corneal wounds in dogs, cats and horses. PROCEDURE: All records dating from August 1999 to February 2003 from Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital of patients that had undergone ophthalmic surgical procedures and received a SIS corneal graft for a full-thickness lesion were reviewed. Fifteen cases were identified including six dogs, two cats and seven horses. Requirements for inclusion in this study were that SIS was used as a corneal graft in a full-thickness corneal defect and that the graft was completely covered with a conjunctival flap. RESULTS: Of the 15 cases, one canine patient had received SIS following removal of an epibulbar melanocytoma. The remaining five canine patients had undergone this surgical procedure for the repair of corneal perforation. The two feline patients had been presented for corneal perforation following chronic ulceration. One equine patient had been presented for a deep melting ulcer, three for stromal corneal abscesses, and three for corneal perforations. Complications encountered postoperatively included aqueous leakage, conjunctival flap dehiscence, synechia, cataract and fibrin in the anterior chamber. Fourteen out of 15 patients were visual at the final re-evaluation. CONCLUSION: SIS is an inexpensive, easy-to-handle biomaterial that appears to be suitable for the repair of full-thickness corneal wounds in dogs, cats and horses. Results of our study support the conclusion that this relatively new product is an effective alternative to traditional implantation materials utilized in veterinary ophthalmology.     

A retrospective study of 30 cases of frozen lamellar corneal graft in dogs and cats

Frozen lamellar corneal grafts and nictitating membrane flaps were used in 18 dogs and 12 cats to repair deep corneal defects. In all dogs either melting corneal ulcers or descemetoceles were present. In the 12 cats, nine had either a melting corneal ulcer or descemetocele, two animals had acute bullous keratopathy, and one cat had corneal sequestrum. Initial vascularization with gradual clearing of the graft occurred during the first 45 days postoperatively. At 60 days postoperatively, all eyes were visual. Frequent postoperative complications included: focal dehiscence of the wound ( n  = 9); melting of part of the graft ( n  = 7); and pigmentation of the graft ( n  = 4). The frozen lamellar corneal graft was a very safe technique, and restored the tectonic and the optical function of the cornea. It provided the best results in corneas with nonperforating corneal defects. This technique provides poorer results when the cornea was perforated prior to surgery or during the surgical procedure.     

Correlation between corneal sensitivity and quantity of reflex tearing in cows,horses, goats,sheep, dogs,cats, rabbits,and guinea pigs

Objective Guinea pigs have a very low threshold of corneal sensitivity and at the same time nearly no reflex tearing compared to dogs, cats, and horses. The question arose whether there is a general correlation between corneal sensitivity and the quantity of reflex tearing. Animals studied Totally 160 animals of 8 different species (20 animals per species) were investigated. Procedures The corneal touch threshold (CTT) was measured with a Cochet–Bonnet esthesiometer. The palpebral fissure length (PFL) was measured with a calliper ruler. The Schirmer tear test (STT) was modified by adapting the width of the STT strip to the PFL of every species. For the STT II, 0.4% oxybuprocaine was applied. Results Corneal touch threshold: Cows (1.67 g/mm²), horses (1.23 g/mm²), sheep (1.13 g/mm²), goats (1.44 g/mm²), dogs (2.16 g/mm²), and cats (1.33 g/mm²) show similar CTT values. In contrast, rabbits (6.21 g/mm²) and guinea pigs (7.75 g/mm²) show a significantly lower CTT. Tear Production Difference STT I ? STT II: Rabbits have the greatest decline in tear production with 38.4%, followed by sheep (33.3%), dogs (31.1%), cats (24.7%), cows (23.7%), horses (18.0%), and goats (14.0%). Guinea pigs have no decline, but a slight increase of ?16.0%. Correlation CTT and STT II ? STT I Difference: Pearson’s correlation coefficient shows a small, but significant correlation. The coefficient of determination can only forecast a value with 7.1% certainty. Conclusions The high variance and low reproducibility of results suggest that the measuring devices are inappropriate to assess the evaluated parameters. Therefore, no assured correlation between the corneal sensitivity and the quantity of reflex tearing could be found.     

Feline corneal disease

The cornea is naturally transparent. Anything that interferes with the cornea's stromal architecture, contributes to blood vessel migration, increases corneal pigmentation, or predisposes to corneal edema, disrupts the corneas transparency and indicates corneal disease. The color, location, and shape and pattern of a corneal lesion can help in determining the underlying cause for the disease. Corneal disease is typically divided into congenital or acquired disorders. Congenital disorders, such as corneal dermoids are rare in cats, whereas acquired corneal disease associated with nonulcerative or ulcerative keratitis is common. Primary ocular disease, such as tear film instability, adenexal disease (medial canthal entropion, lagophthalmus, eyelid agenesis), and herpes keratitis are associated with the majority of acquired corneal disease in cats. Proliferative/eosinophilic keratitis, acute bullous keratopathy, and Florida keratopathy are common feline nonulcerative disorders. Nonprogressive ulcerative disease in cats, such as chronic corneal epithelial defects and corneal sequestration are more common than progressive corneal ulcerations.     

Qualitative tear film and conjunctival goblet cell assessment of cats with corneal sequestra

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the tear film qualitatively and conjunctival goblet cell numbers in cats with and without corneal sequestra. ANIMALS STUDIED AND PROCEDURES: This was a prospective evaluation of 11 cats with corneal sequestra and 14 control eyes that were either the contralateral normal eye when the sequestrum was unilateral or from control cats of similar age with no ocular disease. All cats in this study were examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist. The ophthalmic examinations included a neuro-ophthalmic evaluation, Schirmer tear tests, fluorescein staining, tear film break-up times, applanation tonometry, biomicroscopy, and indirect ophthalmoscopy. The palpebral conjunctiva at the dorsal nasal, ventral nasal, dorsal temporal and ventral temporal fornices were biopsied after topical anesthetic was applied to the cornea and conjunctiva. The conjunctival biopsies were fixed in formalin and sectioned routinely and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and periodic acid-Schiff. These slides were examined by light microscopy by a blinded examiner. Goblet cell numbers were compared to conjunctival basal epithelial cell numbers by region. The goblet cell numbers by region from the eyes with sequestra was statistically compared to those from eyes without sequestra, with a student's paired t-test. Conjunctival swabs were collected from the cats with corneal sequestra and submitted for polymerase chain reaction for Herpes felis, Chlamydia psiitticia, and Mycoplasma felis. The corneal sequestra were removed by surgical keratectomy and fixed and stained routinely, and examined by light microscopy. RESULTS: No neurologic abnormalities were detected in any of the cats. The Schirmer tear tests (eyes with sequestra 14+/-5.1 mm/min; normal eyes 15+/-6.8 mm/min) and intraocular pressures (eyes with sequestra 21+/-6.6; normal eyes 22+/-5.8) were within normal reference ranges for cats. Biomicroscopic examinations revealed varied sizes and depths of brown- and amber-colored corneal sequestra. No abnormalities were noted on indirect ophthalmoscopic examinations. The tear film break-up time was 21 s (+/-12) for the normal eyes (n=14) and 14 s (+/-13) in eyes with corneal sequestra (n=11). The average goblet/epithelial cell ratios by region for the normal eyes and the eyes with sequestra respectively were 0.66, 0.56 for the dorsal nasal fornix, 0.68, 0.57 for the ventral nasal fornix, 0.63, 0.48 for the temporal dorsal fornix, and 0.55, 0.49 for the temporal ventral fornix. There were no significant differences in tear film break-up times and goblet cell numbers in eyes with corneal sequestra and those without sequestra. Three conjunctival swabs from two of 11 cats with sequestra were positive with PCR for Herpes felis virus. These included one cat with bilateral sequestra and one cat with unilateral corneal sequestrum. CONCLUSIONS: The pathogenesis of feline corneal sequestra does not appear to be linked primarily to abnormal goblet cell numbers, qualitative tear film abnormalities, and accelerated tear film break-up time.     

A comparison of corneal sensitivity between healthy cats and cats with corneal sequestra

In order to establish reference values for corneal sensitivity in ophthalmologically healthy persians (n = 40) and domestic short hair cats (n = 60) a prospective study was conducted. Furthermore corneal sensitivity in 48 cats with a corneal sequestrum was measured. Corneal sensitivity was recorded with the help of the aesthesiometer according to Cochet and Bonnet in five different corneal locations (central, nasal, dorsal, temporal, and ventral). The sensitivity for the central corneal region was recorded as amounting to 3.58 +/- 0.56 cm in ophthalmologically healthy domestic short hair cats and to 2.97 +/- 0.58 cm in healthy persian cats. The sensitivity of the central corneal area of a cat with a corneal sequester only amounts to 2.03 +/- 0.53 cm. Between the diseased and the healthy eyes no statistical difference could be demonstrated for any of the measured corneal locations. The sensitivity of the peripheral corneal locations is significantly lower than that of the central corneal region in all three groups examined.