ULTRASONOGRAPHY is an underused imaging modality in practice for the examination of the large animal eye, especially in food-producing animals. It can be performed easily using ultrasound equipment that is readily available to the large animal veterinary surgeon and can provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information quickly and cheaply. It allows visualisation and examination of the eye or its internal structure that would otherwise be difficult to assess due to eyelid swelling or eyelid closure following trauma, opacification of the cornea or anterior chamber, or because of lens and vitreal opacities. It also allows investigation of exophthalmos and the extent of tumour progression, particularly squamous cell carcinoma in cattle. This article describes how to carry out ocular ultrasound examination in horses and farm animals, and highlights normal findings and some commonly encountered abnormalities seen in these species.
展开▼
