Feline corneal sequestrum

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Feline corneal sequestrum (also known as feline corneal necrosis) [1] is the development of dark areas of dead tissue in the cornea of domestic cats. [2] [3] [4] This disease is painful to the cat, although it develops slowly over a longer period of time. Cats will usually demonstrate teary eye(s), squinting or closing of the eye(s), and covering of the third eyelid.

Contents

Presentation

The affected area of the cornea develops a brown discoloration. [5] The area surrounding the sequestrum may have superficial ulceration. [1] The corneal sequestrum is painful, and the cat may show this by squinting or closing the eye (blepharospasm). [5]

Causes

The cause of corneal sequestra is unknown. [6] A sequestrum in the cornea usually develops following long term (chronic) ulceration of the cornea. Feline viral rhinotracheitis (previously known as Feline herpes virus [7] ) is often found in cats with a corneal sequestrum. [1]

Prevention

As the cause is not known, it is difficult to know what steps to take to prevent this from occurring. However, keep the eyes clean and seek veterinary attention if an eye is cut, scratched or irritated.

Treatment

Lubricating eye drops are usually given in the first instance of feline corneal sequestra, yet if the eye continues to irritate the cat or becomes worse, surgical removal is usually required. Once the removal of the corneal sequestrum is complete, cats will usually remain on lubricating eye drops for the rest of their lives. The disease often reoccurs in cats who have already experienced this problem.

Epidemiology

Any breed of cat may develop a corneal sequestrum, although Persians, Exotic Shorthairs and Himalayans may be more susceptible to developing sequestra than other breeds of cat. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exotic Shorthair</span> Breed of cat

The Exotic Shorthair is a breed of cat developed as a short-haired version of the Persian. The Exotic is similar to the Persian in many ways, including temperament and conformation, a flat nose and face with the exceptions of the short dense coat. The Exotic breed generally live to 12-15 years of age. The second longest living Exotic Shorthair known was from Melbourne, Australia and lived to 17 years 1 month. Thus far, the longest living Exotic Shorthair currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Her birthday is June 1, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keratitis</span> Medical condition

Keratitis is a condition in which the eye's cornea, the clear dome on the front surface of the eye, becomes inflamed. The condition is often marked by moderate to intense pain and usually involves any of the following symptoms: pain, impaired eyesight, photophobia, red eye and a 'gritty' sensation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dry eye syndrome</span> Medical condition

Dry eye syndrome, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is the condition of having dry eyes. Symptoms include dryness in the eye, irritation, redness, discharge, blurred vision, and easily fatigued eyes. Symptoms range from mild and occasional to severe and continuous. Dry eye syndrome can lead to blurred vision, instability of the tear film, increased risk of damage to the ocular surface such as scarring of the cornea, and changes in the eye including the neurosensory system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red eye (medicine)</span> Eye that appears red due to illness or injury

A red eye is an eye that appears red due to illness or injury. It is usually injection and prominence of the superficial blood vessels of the conjunctiva, which may be caused by disorders of these or adjacent structures. Conjunctivitis and subconjunctival hemorrhage are two of the less serious but more common causes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entropion</span> Medical condition

Entropion is a medical condition in which the eyelid folds inward. It is very uncomfortable, as the eyelashes continuously rub against the cornea causing irritation. Entropion is usually caused by genetic factors. This is different from when an extra fold of skin on the lower eyelid causes lashes to turn in towards the eye (epiblepharon). In epiblepharons, the eyelid margin itself is in the correct position, but the extra fold of skin causes the lashes to be misdirected. Entropion can also create secondary pain of the eye. The upper or lower eyelid can be involved, and one or both eyes may be affected. When entropion occurs in both eyes, this is known as "bilateral entropion". Repeated cases of trachoma infection may cause scarring of the inner eyelid, which may cause entropion. In human cases, this condition is most common to people over 60 years of age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recurrent corneal erosion</span> Medical condition

Recurrent corneal erosion is a disorder of the eyes characterized by the failure of the cornea's outermost layer of epithelial cells to attach to the underlying basement membrane. The condition is excruciatingly painful because the loss of these cells results in the exposure of sensitive corneal nerves. This condition can often leave patients with temporary blindness due to extreme light sensitivity (photophobia).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distichia</span> Medical condition

A distichia is an eyelash that arises from an abnormal part of the eyelid. This abnormality, attributed to a genetic mutation, is known to affect dogs and humans. Distichiae usually exit from the duct of the meibomian gland at the eyelid margin. They are usually multiple, and sometimes more than one arises from a duct. They can affect either the upper or lower eyelid and are usually bilateral. The lower eyelids of dogs usually have no eyelashes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corneal ulcers in animals</span> Veterinary inflammatory condition of the cornea

A corneal ulcer, or ulcerative keratitis, is an inflammatory condition of the cornea involving loss of its outer layer. It is very common in dogs and is sometimes seen in cats. In veterinary medicine, the term corneal ulcer is a generic name for any condition involving the loss of the outer layer of the cornea, and as such is used to describe conditions with both inflammatory and traumatic causes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feline viral rhinotracheitis</span> Infectious disease of cats

Feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR) is an upper respiratory or pulmonary infection of cats caused by Felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FeHV-1), of the family Herpesviridae. It is also commonly referred to as feline influenza, feline coryza, and feline pneumonia but, as these terms describe other very distinct collections of respiratory symptoms, they are misnomers for the condition. Viral respiratory diseases in cats can be serious, especially in catteries and kennels. Causing one-half of the respiratory diseases in cats, FVR is the most important of these diseases and is found worldwide. The other important cause of feline respiratory disease is feline calicivirus.

<i>Acanthamoeba</i> keratitis Eye infection caused by a protist

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare disease in which amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba invade the clear portion of the front (cornea) of the eye. It affects roughly 100 people in the United States each year. Acanthamoeba are protozoa found nearly ubiquitously in soil and water and can cause infections of the skin, eyes, and central nervous system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corneal ulcer</span> Medical condition of the eye

Corneal ulcer, also called keratitis, is an inflammatory or, more seriously, infective condition of the cornea involving disruption of its epithelial layer with involvement of the corneal stroma. It is a common condition in humans particularly in the tropics and in farming. In developing countries, children afflicted by vitamin A deficiency are at high risk for corneal ulcer and may become blind in both eyes persisting throughout life. In ophthalmology, a corneal ulcer usually refers to having an infection, while the term corneal abrasion refers more to a scratch injury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chronic superficial keratitis</span>

Chronic superficial keratitis (CSK), also known as pannus or Uberreiter's disease, is an inflammatory condition of the cornea in dogs, particularly seen in the German Shepherd. Both eyes are usually affected. The corneas gradually become pigmented and infiltrated by blood vessels, and the dog may eventually become blind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corneal dystrophies in dogs</span>

Corneal dystrophies are a group of diseases that affect the cornea in dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reis–Bucklers corneal dystrophy</span> Medical condition

Reis-Bücklers corneal dystrophy is a disease of the eye, a rare corneal dystrophy of unknown cause, in which the Bowman's layer of the cornea undergoes disintegration. The disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion, and is associated with mutations in the gene TGFB1.

Blue eye disease is caused by La Piedad Michoacán Mexico virus (LPMV), the only member virus of the species Porcine orthorubulavirus in the Paramyxoviridae family. Synonyms for the disease include "Blue Eye Syndrome" and "Porcine Paramyxovirus Blue Eye Disease", and "La Piedad Michoacán Paramyxovirus Infection".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herpes simplex keratitis</span> Medical condition

Herpetic simplex keratitis is a form of keratitis caused by recurrent herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in the cornea.

Mooren's ulcer is a rare idiopathic ocular disorder that may lead to blindness due to progressive destruction of the peripheral cornea. Although the etiology of Mooren's ulcer is poorly understood, recent evidence suggests that the pathogenesis of this disease appears to be the result of an autoimmune process directed against molecules expressed in the corneal stroma.

Christmas Eye refers to a seasonal epidemic of corneal ulceration which predominantly occurs in a particular region of Australia, caused by chemicals released upon death by small native beetles in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corneal opacity</span> Medical condition

The human cornea is a transparent membrane which allows light to pass through it. The word corneal opacification literally means loss of normal transparency of cornea. The term corneal opacity is used particularly for the loss of transparency of cornea due to scarring. Transparency of the cornea is dependent on the uniform diameter and the regular spacing and arrangement of the collagen fibrils within the stroma. Alterations in the spacing of collagen fibrils in a variety of conditions including corneal edema, scars, and macular corneal dystrophy is clinically manifested as corneal opacity. The term corneal blindness is commonly used to describe blindness due to corneal opacity.

Exposure keratopathy is medical condition affecting the cornea of eyes. It can lead to corneal ulceration and permanent loss of vision due to corneal opacity.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Maggs, David; Miller, Paul; Ofri, Ron (2013). "Feline corneal sequestrum". Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology (5th ed.). Elsevier. ISBN   9780323241960.
  2. Featherstone, Heidi J.; Sansom, Jane (July 2004). "Feline corneal sequestra: a review of 64 cases (80 eyes) from 1993 to 2000". Veterinary Ophthalmology. 7 (4): 213–227. doi:10.1111/j.1463-5224.2004.04028.x. PMID   15200618.
  3. "Feline Corneal Sequestrum: BluePearl Pet Hospital". BluePearl. BluePearl Veterinary Partners. 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  4. Laguna, Fernando; Leiva, Marta; Costa, Daniel; Lacerda, Rodrigo; Peña Gimenez, Teresa (July 2015). "Corneal grafting for the treatment of feline corneal sequestrum: a retrospective study of 18 eyes (13 cats)". Veterinary Ophthalmology. 18 (4): 291–296. doi:10.1111/vop.12228. PMID   25338923.
  5. 1 2 3 Esson, Douglas W. (2015). "Chapter 65. Feline corneal sequestrum". Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease. John Wiley & Sons. p. 138. ISBN   9781118841044.
  6. "Feline Corneal Sequestra". Animal Eye Care. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  7. "ICTV 9th Report (2011) Herpesviridae". International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved 2019-11-30.