Bilateral suprachoroidal ciclosporine implant in a horse with equine recurrent uveitis.

摘要

Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is the most common disease resulting in blindness in horses. Recurrent episodes of intraocular inflammation (uveitis) despite medical intervention are the hallmark of this disease. Clinical signs of uveitis, such as ocular pain, conjunctival and episcleral hyperaemia, miosis, aqueous flare (Tyndall effect), hyphaema, hypopyon, vitreal infiltrates, chorioretinitis and papillitis, have been described in ERU patients. ERU aetiology is uncertain, although it is clear that there is an immune mediated component associated with this disease. ERU is classified in two categories, classic and insidious. Episodes of classic ERU are associated with overt signs of active inflammation separated by periods of quiescence. Quiescent phases in classic ERU are followed by increasingly more severe uveitic attacks (Dwyer & Gilger, 2005). Insidious ERU is associated with non painful, low grade chronic inflammation that persists even though the eye appears ‘quiet’ and results in a gradual degeneration of ocular structures.