This study was performed to evaluate the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) upon angiogenesis in the rat cornea, to examine its possible application as an alternative angiogenic inducer and to provide basic data for further studies. Angiogenesis was induced by cornea micropocket assay, as previously described. Eight of thirty two eyes of Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups, namely, a non-NGF group (Group 0), a 0.5 ng of NGF group (Group 0.5), a 1.0 ng of NGF group (Group 1.0) and a 5.0 ng of NGF group (Group 5.0). Pellets made of poly-2-hydroxylethylmethacrylate and sucralfate were implanted into the corneal stroma no closer than 1 mm from the limbus. After the implantation, the number of new vessels, vessel length and circumferential neovascularization were examined daily under the surgical microscope over a period of 7 days. The area of neovascularization was determined using a mathematical formula. Although new vessels in Group 0 and Group 0.5 were first observed at day 5, those of Groups 1.0 and 5.0 were first noted on days 4 and 3, respectively. However, the growth rates of new vessels in Groups 1.0 and 5.0 were higher than those of Groups 0 and 0.5 with the passage of time. The number, length, circumferential neovascularization and areas covered by the vessels in Groups 1.0 and 5.0 were significantly more than in Group 0 and Group 0.5 (p<0.05). This study showed that NGF had a dose-dependent angiogenic effects on the rat cornea and that the minimal effective dose of NGF was 1.0 ng per cornea. Also, it showed that NGF would be useful in angiogenic studies as an alternative angiogenic inducer.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents/*toxicity ; Animals ; Cornea/blood supply/*drug effects ; Corneal Neovascularization/*chemically induced ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Male ; Nerve Growth Factor/*toxicity ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

To report retinal image of in a 6-year-old male castrated poodle dog with a 2-month history of nyctalopia using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Ocular reflexes were present in both eyes and slit lamp examination showed anterior subscapular cataract in the right eye. There were fundus abnormalities in both eyes similar to retinal degeneration. Scotopic electroretinograms (ERGs) revealed significantly subabnormal amplitudes and prolonged implicit time, whereas photopic ERGs were better maintained, although far from normal. OCT of affected dogs revealed generalized retinal thinning much more than a normal age-matched dog. Therefore, OCT scanning is considered to be a useful method for retinal evaluation in dogs with retinal degeneration.
Animals ; Cataract ; Dogs ; Electroretinography ; Eye ; Humans ; Male ; Night Blindness ; Reflex ; Retinal Degeneration ; Retinaldehyde ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

To report multiple congenital ocular defects in a Bedlington terrier dog aged 2.5 months with blindness. Routine ophthalmic examinations were performed for the clinical signs. Menace responses and cotton ball test were absent in both eyes (OU), but pupillary light reflexes were normal in OU. Slit lamp biomicroscopy reveled corneal dystrophy, posterior subcapsular cataract, microphthalmia in OU and lenticular coloboma in the right eye. In indirect ophthalmoscopy and ultrasonography, retinal detachment and posterior lenticonus were shown in OU. It is the first report of lenticular coloboma and posterior lenticonus in a Bedlington terrier dog.
Aged ; Animals ; Blindness ; Cataract ; Coloboma ; Dogs ; Eye ; Humans ; Light ; Microphthalmos ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Reflex ; Retinal Detachment

This study was conducted to establish the feasibility of corneal transplantation using the big-bubble technique (BBT) to perform deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) in three dogs. After the cornea was trephined 750 µm, 4 mL of air was injected, and the blanched stroma was removed to expose Descemet's membrane (DM). The donor corneal button, which was gently stripped off the DM, was sutured onto the bare DM of the recipient cornea. The dogs received topical antibiotics every 6 h for 7 days and 2% cyclosporine ointment every 12 h for 1 month. The eyes were examined post-operatively at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 150 days. The central portion of the transplanted cornea stayed transparent while corneal haze developed around the transplanted margin. Menace response was normal even though the transplanted cornea was edematous until 3 weeks after surgery. A marginal haze was rarely observed between the donor and recipient corneas at 150 days after the operation. A spotted haze developed in the central part of the deep stroma near the DM. Upon histopathological examination, the stroma and epithelium of the donor cornea had normal structures. Corneal transplantation using DALK with BBT can be performed in dogs preserving the healthy endothelium.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cornea ; Corneal Transplantation* ; Cyclosporine ; Descemet Membrane ; Dogs* ; Endothelium ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Tissue Donors

A 15-year-old, spayed, female American shorthair cat presented with recurrent corneal sequestrum in the right eye. The cat had undergone superficial keratectomy twice for corneal sequestrum treatment 5 and 11 months previously. Two layers of porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS; Vetrix BioSIS® ) were applied to the surgical corneal defect after keratectomy. Thereafter, clinical signs, such as lacrimation, blepharospasm, and corneal ulcer, disappeared 50 days postoperatively. Moreover, the application of SIS with keratectomy prevented recurrence until 651 days after surgery. SIS could be applied as an additional bioscaffold for surgical repair of corneal sequestrum recurring after superficial keratectomy alone in cats.

An 8-year-old Shih Tzu, a 5-year-old Maltese, and a 10-year-old Maltese presented with conjunctival hyperemia and peripheral corneal edema. Severe conjunctival thickening with varying degrees of corneal extension was observed. Cytological examination showed many large lymphocytes with malignant changes in the conjunctiva which was consistent with findings in fine-needle aspiration samples taken from regional lymph nodes. They were diagnosed as having Stage V multicentric lymphoma. When conjunctival thickening is observed in canine patients with multicentric lymphoma, conjunctival metastasis with infiltration of neoplastic lymphoid cells should be included in the differential diagnosis.
Animals ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Conjunctiva ; Cornea ; Corneal Edema ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dogs ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Uvea

Background: Long-term comparative data of phacoemulsification combined with endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (phaco-ECP) versus phacoemulsification (phaco) alone in dogs are rare. Objectives: To investigate the effects of ECP on postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) and complications after phaco in dogs with normal IOP. Methods: Medical records of IOP, conjunctival hyperemia, corneal edema, aqueous flare, posterior synechia, intraocular fibrin, and posterior capsule opacification (PCO) formation in 15 canine eyes that underwent phaco-ECP and 36 eyes that underwent phaco alone were evaluated retrospectively. ECP was applied when either the iridocorneal angle or the ciliary cleft was narrow or closed. Results: The IOP of the phaco-ECP group persisted within the normal range postoperatively.The phaco-ECP group had a shorter period of dorzolamide use than did the phaco group.PCO was formed earlier in the phaco-ECP group than in the phaco group. The phaco-ECP group showed more severe corneal edema than the phaco group at every follow-up visit.Posterior synechia was more severe in the phaco-ECP group than in the phaco group from two weeks until the last follow-up. Conclusions Although ECP might cause more postoperative complications such as corneal edema and posterior synechia, it could effectively reduce the incidence of IOP increase after phaco in dogs with a high risk of postoperative glaucoma.

Two Shih-Tzu dogs with atopic dermatitis presented with delayed periocular dermatitis (PD) following the instillation of dorzolamide and dorzolamide/timolol combination eyedrops;the development of dermatologic signs took 94 and 104 d in cases 1 and 2, respectively.Hypersensitivity to anti-glaucoma eyedrops was highly suspected, and treatment was discontinued. Delayed PD was significantly relieved in cases 1 and 2, at days 155 and 64 after discontinuation, respectively. In this study, the clinical characteristics and progression of delayed PD were described to inform clinicians who may encounter this rare side effect.

Background: There has not been a thoroughly reported study of the comparison between spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with both ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and gonioscopy on the evaluation of the iridocorneal angle (ICA) in dogs. Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of SD-OCT for the early detection of narrowing ICA by comparing and assessing inter-device agreement in anterior chamber angle (ACA) measurements obtained by SD-OCT and UBM, and ICA evaluations by gonioscopy. Methods: A total of 28 eyes from 28 client-owned dogs with normal intraocular pressure were included for examination. The ACA and angle opening distance (AOD) were measured from the SD-OCT and UBM images, and gonioscopy images were analyzed using the ICA grade and ZibWest angle index. Results: The mean ACA and AOD for SD-OCT were 28.31° ± 5.37° and 658.42 ± 219.90 µm, and for UBM, 28.34° ± 5.82° and 859.29 ± 221.80 µm, respectively. The mean difference in ACA between the average values of SD-OCT and UBM measurements was 0.03° with a 95% limit of agreement (LoA) span of 16.2°, indicating positive agreement; that in AOD was 200.85 µm with a 95% LoA span of 1,110.95 µm, indicating poor agreement. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the ACA of SD-OCT and ZibWest indices of gonioscopy was 0.624, indicating strong agreement; that of UBM and gonioscopy was 0.43, indicating moderate agreement. Conclusions SD-OCT is well tolerated by canine patients due to its non-contact method and might be an alternative option for early screening of ICA narrowing in clinical settings.

Two dogs presented with bilateral pattern-forming corneal opacity. Treatment with topical immunosuppressants was initiated after a complete ophthalmic examination. The response to treatment was assessed by analyzing serial images using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Both dogs responded to topical immunosuppressants; however, the lesions recurred once the treatment was abated or withdrawn. The most effective immunosuppressant in both dogs was 0.03% tacrolimus ointment. Early and continuous treatment with topical immunosuppressants may be necessary to improve corneal clarity and prevent scarring. SD-OCT could provide useful structural information regarding presumed immune-mediated keratitis and aid in monitoring treatment response.