RESUMEN
Corneal ulcers are one of the most common ocular disorders in veterinary ophthalmology and several factors can negatively influence the efficacy of the currently available therapeutic options, leading to a loss of corneal transparency and, thus, vision. Twenty-five dogs with clinical signs of corneal ulcers were randomised to receive either corneal phototherapy (16 dogs; study group) or topical standard medical therapy (9 dogs; control group). The riboflavin/UV-A corneal phototherapy (PACK-CXL) consisted in the application of a riboflavin ophthalmic solution (Visioflavin®; Vision Engineering Italy srl, Rome, Italy) onto the cornea for 20 min followed by 30 mW/cm2 UV-A irradiance for 3 min using a point-of-care UV-A device (Vetuvir®; Vision Engineering Italy srl, Rome, Italy). The complete healing of the ulcerative lesion was defined as the complete restoration of the corneal epithelial integrity with negative fluorescein staining. The corneal phototherapy achieved complete corneal healing in all the dogs by 20.5 ± 7.8 days. In the control group, only two dogs achieved complete healing by 21.5 ± 15.6 days. This intervention may represent a valid option to hasten corneal wound healing and a clinical resolution of ulcerative keratitis in dogs.
RESUMEN
An unusual case of a penetrating grass awn in an eyelid of a dog is reported. A 6-month-old mixed breed dog was referred to the Ophthalmology Unit of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Camerino University for anorexia, lethargy, left monolateral ocular swelling and pain to the left eye, present from 1 month. Ophthalmic examination of the left eye showed copious and purulent discharge, and ultrasonography revealed the presence of an abscess containing a grass foreign body. The grass awn was surgically removed. Three days after surgery, the dog showed a marked improvement, with a total resolution obtained in 7 days. To the authors' knowledge, penetrating foreign bodies such as the one of this paper have never been described before in literature.