SAEVA Congress 2018 Proceedings | 12-15 February 2018 | ATKV Goudini Spa
anterior stromal flap is then replaced and sutured . No sutures are used to hold the donor cornea and thus less scarring is seen postoperatively . Here the visual outcome is expected to be > 90 %.
References :
1 . Brooks D E 2004 Inflammatory Stromal keratopathies : Medical management of stromal keratomalacia , stromal abscesses , eosinophilic keratitis , and band keratopathy in the horse . Vet Clin Eq Pract 20:345-360
2 . Gelatt Veterinary Ophthalmology 5 th Ed , 2013 John Wiley & Sons , Inc . 3 . Plummer C E 2009 The use of amniotic membrane transplantation for ocular surface reconstruction : a review and series of 58 equine clinical cases [ 2002-2008 ] Veterinary Ophthalmology 12 : Supplement 1 , 17-24 , 36 - 42
4 . Plummer C E , Kallberg M E , Ollivier F J , Barrie K P , Brooks D E 2008 Deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty in 10 horses , Veterinary Ophthalmology 11 , Supplement 1 , 35 – 43
Corneal Collagen Cross – Linking [ CXL ]
Johannesburg Animal Eye Hospital
Corneal collagen crosslinking [ CXL ] was developed for the treatment of primary and secondary corneal ectactic [ dilation or distension ] disease in humans including keratoconus . CXL appears to be the first treatment modality to halt progression of keratoconus and other corneal ectactic disorders resulting in improvement of visual , keratometric and topographic parameters . Horses suffer from a multitude of serious corneal diseases that can have severe vision threatening implications and CXL appears to be the latest effective treatment option . The use of riboflavin / Ultraviolet A [ UVA ] CXL for the management of infectious and non-infectious keratitis appears to be very promising . Its use in the management of bullous keratopathy is equivocal . Between 2003 and 2007 additional indications for CXL were introduced : bullous keratopathy and the treatment of infectious and non-infectious corneal melting . The first publication in the veterinary literature was in 2014 when Spiess et al published a paper in the journal Veterinary Ophthalmology .
Corneal ulcers are a very common problem in dogs , cats and horses and can lead to various degrees of visual impairment including blindness . Corneal melting is caused by the release of both exogenous and endogenous collagenolytic matrix metalloprotease [ MMP ] enzymes and an imbalance between these proteolytic enzymes and proteinase inhibitors present in the precorneal tear film [ PTF ] and cornea . Currently the treatment for melting corneal ulcers involves very aggressive treatment with topical antimicrobials to fight a potential infection as well as anticollagenases to directly counter the collagenolysis . Inability of clients to medicate frequently enough , patient compliance and antimicrobial drug resistance can lead to
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