An 8-year-old spayed female Boxer was presented for a 3-week history of blepharospasm in the right eye. Her primary care veterinarian had initially diagnosed a corneal ulcer and prescribed neomycin/bacitracin/polymyxin ophthalmic ointment. The ulcer was considered healed at recheck based on lack of fluorescein stain retention. When medications were discontinued, symptoms returned, and a red spot had developed on the eye.
A vascularized, irregularly contoured lesion is evident in the dorsal cornea of the right eye (figure 1, above). Blepharospasm and mucoid discharge are present. The left eye appears normal.
Differential diagnoses for a painful vascularized corneal lesion include an indolent ulcer with granulation tissue, a stromal ulcer with granulation tissue, a corneal abscess or foreign body, or an immune-mediated process such as pannus. In this dog, the irregular corneal contour is most consistent with ridges of nonadherent epithelium, prioritizing the first of these differentials.
Indolent ulcers occur when epithelium fails to adhere to underlying stroma following superficial injury. They involve the epithelium only, and do not extend into the stroma. Key features include flaps or folds of nonadherent epithelium, hyalinization of the underlying stroma, and variable degrees of neovascularization and discomfort. Etiology for the failure of adherence between the epithelium and stroma is unclear. Although idiopathic indolent ulcers are common in Boxers, one must still rule out potential contributing causes, including keratoconjunctivitis sicca, entropion, distichiasis, ectopic cilium, and foreign body. A Schirmer tear test should be performed, and the eyelids, bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva, and posterior surface of the third eyelid should all be inspected as part of a complete ophthalmic examination.
In this dog, Schirmer tear test values were normal. Faint fluorescein uptake was seen overlying the lesion. Inspection of the dorsal palpebral conjunctiva revealed a small nodule coated in mucus (figure 2). Removal of the mucus exposed an ectopic cilium.
Management of indolent ulcers depends on addressing underlying causes and making interventions to promote healing. In the case of this dog the following steps were taken
On examination 2 weeks later, the ulcer was fully healed, with minor fibrosis and neovascularization present (figure 3). The contact lens was removed and medications were discontinued.
A veterinary ophthalmologist, Dr. Stephanie Pumphrey provides medical and surgical treatment to a variety of veterinary patients with eye issues. Along with patients at Foster Hospital for Small Animals, she treats large animals, exotics, and wildlife species. She completed her ophthalmology residency at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2012 and became board-certified the same year. Commonly treated conditions include cataracts, glaucoma, corneal ulcers, eyelid and eyelash disorders like entropion or distichiasis, and uveitis and other inflammatory diseases.