The use of lasers in veterinary ophthalmology: Recommendations based on literature: Laseranwendungen in der Veterinär-Ophthalmologie: Empfehlungen auf Basis der Literatur

Lasers are routinely used in veterinary ophthalmology for the treatment of a number of ophthalmic conditions and diseases. In veterinary ophthalmology, gas lasers (CO2 lasers) and semiconductor lasers (diode lasers) are used primarily, but the therapy of posterior capsular opacification with the Nd:YAG laser has also been described. This paper presents and discusses the most common indications for the use of the diode and CO2 lasers. Diode lasers are mainly used in the treatment of glaucoma, either by transscleral cyclophotocoagulation or by endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation. Other indications are various forms of retinal detachments, as well as pigmented neoplasms of the uvea. An emerging field in veterinary ophthalmology using diode lasers is photodynamic therapy of periocular tumors. CO2 lasers are used for pars plana vitrectomies and surgical excision of ocular tumor

Ocular manifestations of a metastatic adenocarcinoma in a horse

A 10-year-old German Warmblood gelding was referred to the Equine Department of the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland, for an iris mass OD, lethargy, intermittent fever, and coughing. Ophthalmic examination revealed a 7 × 9 mm raised, fleshy, whitish to pinkish, vascularized iris mass at the 2 o`clock position OD. Fundic examination showed multifocal round, brown to black, slightly raised lesions with indistinct margins and a surrounding hyperreflective zone OU. Physical examination revealed a temperature of 39.2 °C, sinus tachycardia, preputial and ventral edema, and an enlarged right mandibular lymph node. Results of a complete blood count and plasma biochemical profile showed mild anemia, leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia. Severe splenopathy, moderate splenomegaly, and severe pulmonary pathology with nodules and large areas of consolidated lung parenchyma were observed on abdominal ultrasound and thoracic radiographs, respectively. Fine needle aspirates of the enlarged mandibular lymph node showed malignant epithelial neoplastic cells. The horse was euthanized because of the poor prognosis and subsequently underwent postmortem examination. Macroscopic necropsy and histopathology revealed an adenocarcinoma of suspected pulmonary origin with involvement of eyes, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, diaphragm, skeletal muscles, mandibular, pulmonary, and internal iliac lymph nodes. Metastatic adenocarcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in horses with iris masses, multifocal chorioretinal infiltrates, and clinical signs that conform to a paraneoplastic syndrom

Bilateral congenital lacrimal fistula in a Brown Swiss bull

A five-year-old Brown Swiss bull was referred to the Department of Farm Animals, University of Zurich, because of bilateral epiphora that was unresponsive to treatment. Clinical examination revealed a fistulous opening medial to the medial canthus of both eyes and mucopurulent discharge from both openings. Attempts to flush the nasolacrimal duct via the lacrimal points resulted in the fluid exiting via the fistulous opening. Retrograde flushing of the nasolacrimal duct from the nasolacrimal opening resulted in the flush fluid flowing back out the nasolacrimal opening. Bilateral lacrimal fistula medial to the medial canthus of the eye was diagnosed based on the findings. The same anomaly was diagnosed a year later in 4 related female animals referred to our Department for other reasons. Three of the cases were sired by the bull described above and one was sired by his half-brother. Therefore, an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance of this anomaly was assumed. Clinical, epidemiological and molecular studies of the offspring of both bulls are underway to further investigate this anomaly

Protective coatings for intraocular wirelessly controlled microrobots for implantation : corrosion, cell culture, and in vivo animal tests

Grup: Gnm3 FundingDiseases in the ocular posterior segment are a leading cause of blindness. The surgical skills required to treat them are at the limits of human manipulation ability, and involve the risk of permanent retinal damage. Instrument tethering and design limit accessibility within the eye. Wireless microrobots suturelessly injected into the posterior segment, steered using magnetic manipulation, are proposed for procedures involving implantation. Biocompatibility is a prerequisite for these procedures. This paper investigates the use of cobalt-nickel microrobots coated with polypyrrole, and gold, which has been used as an ocular implant material. Polypyrrole has well-established biocompatibility properties, but no reports concerning its ocular implantation is available. Coated and uncoated microrobots were investigated for their corrosion properties, and solutions that had contained coated and uncoated microrobots for one week were tested for cytotoxicity by monitoring NIH3T3 cell viability. None of the microrobots showed significant corrosion currents and corrosion potentials were as expected in relation to the intrinsic nobility of the materials. NIH3T3 cell viability was not affected by the release medium, in which coated/uncoated microrobots were stored. In vivo tests inside rabbit eyes were performed using coated microrobots. There were no significant inflammatory responses during the first week after injection. An inflammatory response detected after two weeks was likely due to a lack of longer-duration biocompatibility. The results provide valuable information for those who work on implant technology and biocompatibility. Coated microrobots have the potential to facilitate a new generation of surgical treatments, diagnostics and drug-delivery techniques, when implantation in the ocular posterior segment will be possible

Indikationen zur Vitrektomie und Cyclosporinimplantaten

Pferde, welche trotz gutem Management und ausreichender konservativer Therapie unter häufigen Rezidiven leiden, oder bei denen bereits erste permanente Schäden aufgetreten, sind sollten chirurgisch behandelt werden. An erster Stelle steht hier die Vitrektomie. Ein neuer, viel versprechender Ansatz sind die suprachoroidalen Cyclosporin-Implantate, welche allerdings noch nicht im freien Handel erhältlich sind

Un cas de thélaziose chez un chien

Une infestation de Thelazia callipedae chez un chien mâle de race Husky a été diagnostiqué en Suisse. L’examen ophtalmologique a montré une kérato-conjonctivite bilatérale avec une chassie importante. Un traitement antiparasitaire à base de sélamectine ainsi qu’un collyre ophtalmologique à propriétés anti-inflammatoire et antibiotique a été mis en place. La thélaziose a été guérie avec succès. Bien que T. callipedae ait fait l’objet de diverses études, le manque de connaissances du cycle de vie exacte de T.callipedae, nous empêche de prévenir efficacement une infestation