2015 Pan Pacific Veterinary Conference

All eye trauma and acutely painful eyes are emergencies and should be thoroughly and promptly investigated and treated because the best opportunity of making an accurate diagnosis and achieving a successful outcome is highest in the early stages after onset. Painful horse eyes are always difficult to examine properly unless adequate restraint is used. In all cases this means sedation, possibly supplemented with physical restraint (twitch); palpebral nerve block; and topical local anaesthetic (proxymetacaine). A systematic eye examination is essential to ensure that abnormalities are not missed and should start with the eyelids and adnexa before progressing through the anterior and then posterior segment. A good anatomical knowledge of the eye is a pre-requisite and this talk will include a refresher on ocular anatomy and clinical examination techniques. The main eye emergencies are trauma (orbit, eyelid, globe), foreign bodies (orbit and cornea), exophthalmos (retrobulbar swelling and occasionally intraocular swelling), ulcerative keratitis, and uveitis (including reflex and recurrent uveitis). The key clinical features assisting with decision making will be reviewed for each of these emergencies along with recommendations for medical or surgical treatment, including enucleation.