Corneal diseases are one of the most common groups of ocular diseases in horses. Traumatic corneal wounds are relatively common in horses due to the location of their eyes and the escape responses typical of prey.
Infections caused by bacteria or filamentous fungi in the equine cornea are serious conditions that can threaten the horse’s vision, requiring rapid and intensive care. The aim is to determine the species of the bacteria or fungi, and their antimicrobial sensitivity, from samples collected from the eye. This is so as to choose an antibiotic or antifungal drug that is as effective as possible against the specific microbe.
Although information is available on the most common pathogenic microbes associated with equine corneal inflammations, the results vary regionally, for example, depending on climate conditions. Information on the most common pathogenic microbes in several countries and continents around the world has been published. A recently published study describes pathogenic microbes associated with corneal inflammations found in horses treated at the Equine Hospital and their antimicrobial sensitivity from a period of over 10 years. Among other things, the results guide veterinarians working in Nordic climate conditions when deciding on drug therapies and planning treatments even before the specimen analyses have been completed.
Tonometry is an essential part of thorough ocular examinations. In a recently published study, we compared the reliability and accuracy of two tonometers commonly used on animals in connection with equine patients.