VSR 421: Regional Veterinary Surgery (2+1)

 KERATITIS

• Inflammation of cornea.

Etioilogy

• Bacterial, virual, rickettsial infections
• Trauma (including irritation caused by eyelashes, in entropion, trichiasis, distichiasis, etc).
• Chemical irritants
• Parasites in eye.
• Allergy
• Deficiency diseases (Vitamin A, Riboflavin, etc.).
• Senility (due to old age)
• Neoplastic conditions as dermoids.
• Toxaemia
• Diabetes

Classification

• Keratitis may be classified as follows
  • Superficial keratitis 
  • Interstitial keratitis (parenchymatous keratitis) 
  • Vascular keratitis
  • Ulcerative keratitis
  • Suppurative keratitis
  • Non – suppurative keratitis
• The normal, clear, transparent, moist and glistening appearance of cornea is altered.

Symptoms 

• Keratitis is a painful condition.
• Photophobia and blepharospasm 
• There is loss of lusture  of the cornea.
• The transparency of the cornea is altered and cloudiness or opacity is evident.
• Vascularisation of the cornea (pannus) may be noticed in severe cases.
• The vessels invading the cornea may originate either from the superficial vessels of the conjunctiva or from the deeper ciliary vessels, situated at the limbus.
• Vessels originating from the conjunctiva are bright red, wavy and superficial whereas the ciliary vessels appear pale or bluish grey and have a more or less straight course. In chronic cases these vessels are arranged in a brich – broom fashion.

Treatment

• Remove the cause.
• NSAIDS topically to relieve pain.
• Irrigating with antiseptic solutions like 5% povidone iodine.
• Adequate intake of vitamin A, D and B-complex.
• Instilling topical antibiotics following a ABST.
• Adminstration of antibiotics