Ophthalmologic observations in the young Yucatan micropig

Complete ocular examinations, including external observations of the eye and its adnexae, pupil responses to light stimuli (direct and consensual), anterior ocular segment examinations with the biomicroscope, and fundic examinations performed with an indirect ophthalmoscope were carried out on 112 7- to 12-month-old Yucatan micropigs to evaluate the incidence of observed ocular abnormalities. Most of the ocular defects seen were classified as remnants of embryologic vascular tissue. Some findings were considered as congenital changes and the others of indeterminate origin in the absence of further pathologic examinations. The principal ocular abnormalities observed were, in decreasing order of incidence: hyaloid remnants (82.1%), pupillary membrane remnants (66.1%), incomplete pigmentation of the fundus with appearance of choroidal vasculature (tigroïd fundus: 50.0%), and posterior cortical pinpoint opacities of the lens (20.5%). Ten older animals (five aged 15 to 18 months and five aged 19 to 33 months) were examined to evaluate any possible evolution of these findings.