Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Corneal Ulcers in Critically Ill Foals in Intensive Care: Case Series of Standard Treatment and Corneal Cross-Linking.
- Journal:
- Journal of equine veterinary science
- Year:
- 2023
- Authors:
- Imposimato, Ilaria et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET) · Italy
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This study looked at five critically ill newborn foals in intensive care that had corneal ulcers, which are painful sores on the eye. Three of the foals received a special treatment called corneal cross-linking (CXL), where a riboflavin solution was applied to their eyes followed by exposure to UV light. This treatment helped the ulcers heal faster, with one foal's ulcers clearing up in as little as 10 days after the CXL treatment, and there were no signs of scarring. The other two foals received standard treatment and took longer to heal, at 26 and 36 days. Overall, CXL appears to be a promising option for treating corneal ulcers in very sick newborn foals and may help reduce the need for antibiotics.
Abstract
Riboflavin/UV-A corneal cross-linking (CXL) has been applied to treat corneal ulcers in adult horses, but its use in critically ill neonatal foals has not been described. Five cases of hospitalized, critically ill neonatal foals that were in intensive care with corneal ulcers, the ophthalmic treatment, and their outcome up to 1 year are described. A single treatment of CXL phototherapy was performed in three of five foals (five eyes). The application of a riboflavin ophthalmic solution for 20 minutes was followed by the UV-A light irradiation at 30 mW/cm2 for 3 minutes. Topical antibiotic administration was withdrawn after CXL. Two other foals received standard treatment. Descriptions of ocular lesions, fluorescein staining, and photographic documentation were recorded. The visual outcome, corneal transparency, and aesthetics, as well as healing time were evaluated in the follow-up. The frequency of topical medication considerably decreased in cases treated with CXL. Corneal opacity and pain decreased within 3 days following CXL. In the foals treated with CXL, the ulcers healed (fluorescein stain negative) in 24, 28, and 35 days after the onset of clinical signs and 10, 15, and 21, after CXL. No fibrosis or corneal scars were found in the cases treated with CXL. The two standard treatment cases healed after 26 and 36 days respectively. Corneal cross-linking may be an additional or alternative treatment of corneal ulcers in critically ill neonatal foals and may reduce the use of antibiotics.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37625627/