Superficial, nonhealing corneal ulcers in horses: 23 cases (1989-2003)

To characterize superficial, nonhealing corneal ulcers in the horse and to assess the affect of age, breed, sex, inciting cause of the ulcer, and treatment on healing time of these ulcers.

Retrospective study.

Twenty-three horses with superficial, nonhealing corneal ulcerations.

Medical records from 1989 to 2003 of horses diagnosed with superficial, nonhealing corneal ulcers were reviewed. Signalment, duration of clinical signs, ophthalmic abnormalities, treatment and response to treatment were recorded. Horses were treated, in addition to medical therapy, using debridement, debridement and grid keratotomy, superficial keratectomy, and superficial keratectomy with conjunctival graft placement.

Mean age +/- SD of horses was 13.7 +/- 5.8 years. The mean time of presence of the corneal ulceration was 38.9 +/- 21.3 days. Mean time to complete re-epithelialization of the corneal ulcers after treatment was 20 +/- 14.7 days. Horses treated with debridement alone, grid keratotomy and superficial keratectomy healed in a mean time of 15.3 +/- 14.6 days, 16 +/- 12.6 days, and 22.8 +/- 6.7 days, respectively.

Horses treated with a single debridement at initial evaluation healed in a significantly shorter time period than horses treated with grid keratotomy or superficial keratectomy. The latter two procedures may be beneficial in the treatment of nonhealing ulceration in horses, but the results of this study suggest that these procedures should only be performed following failure of the ulcer to heal after epithelial debridement.