Approach to problematic corneal ulcers

Diseases affecting the eyelids are frequently encountered in small animal practice, affecting both dogs and cats. We will briefly consider the anatomy and function of the eyelids before looking in more detail at medical and surgical conditions. With the former it is important to remember that eyelid disease can sometimes be part of a generalised condition – such as atopy, or can be secondary to another eye disease – blepharitis as an extension from a bacterial conjunctivitis for example. Conditions such as entropion and ectropion might require surgical correction and we will see examples of these with tips for how to achieve the best outcome for the patient – the aim is always to restore normal function with minimal scarring. A correct diagnosis and meticulous attention to detail is required to attain this. Other common conditions such as eyelid tumours and distichiasis will be mentioned, and we will finish up with a few complications - and how to avoid them!

In this webinar we will discuss the commonly presented emergencies such as ocular injuries, lens lunation, glaucoma, sudden onset blindness and proptosis. Sally will lead you through these and other issues, so that by the end of the lecture you will be confident in knowing how to manage the most frequently encountered ocular emergencies.

A corneal ulcer is an inflammatory condition of the cornea in-volving loss of its outer layer. 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. Corneal ulcers are one of the most common eye dis-eases in dogs. They are caused by trauma, detergent burns, and infections.