As the number of companion animals such as cats and dogs is increasing day by day, veterinarians are more frequently encountering eye problems observed in these animals. Breed predispositions, infection and traumatic causes are also known to increase the incidence of eye diseases in cats
13.
Sarıerler and Kılıç14 reported 172 eye diseases (153 dogs, 19 cats) in 1048 dogs and 180 cats in a study they conducted. In this study, 107 of 199 patients with eye diseases were cats and 92 were dogs. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the incidence of the five most common eye diseases in cats and dogs.
Tamilmahan et al.15, in a study conducted in 425 dogs, found that the number of male dogs was 260 and the number of female dogs was 165. Kumar et al.16 reported that 65% (n=39) of 60 dogs with eye disease were male and 35% (n=21) were female. In this study, it was determined that 50 of 92 dogs were male and 42 were female. In the present study, eye diseases were found to be 54.35% in males and 45.65% in females. These findings are similar to the results of the study conducted by Kumar et al.16. It is thought that the higher incidence of eye diseases in male dogs compared to females may be due to the fact that males are more exposed to traumatic eye injuries due to their more aggressive behavior.
Şengöz Şirin et al.17, reported that the cat breed with the highest incidence of eye disease was mix breeds with a rate of 29.8% and the dog breed with the highest incidence of eye disease was Golden Retriever breed with a rate of 82.3%. In another study16, it was reported that eye diseases were mostly observed in Pug breed dogs with a rate of 28.3%. In contrast to the findings of Şengöz Şirin et al.17, in this study, a lower rate (4.35%) of eye diseases was found in Golden Retriever breed dogs. Similar to the findings of Kumar et al.16, 92 dogs were found to have eye diseases in this study and the first three breeds were Terrier (18 dogs), Pomeranian (16 dogs) and Pug (14 dogs).
Uzunlu et al.18 reported the incidence of conjunctivitis as 42.31% in cats and 24.44% in dogs in a study conducted in 78 cats and 90 dogs. Çatalkaya et al.19 reported that conjunctivitis was the most common eye disease with a rate of 21.15% in a study of 291 cats with eye diseases. In this study, 199 patients (92 dogs and 107 cats) were diagnosed with eye diseases, the incidence of conjunctivitis was 40.22% in dogs and 40.19% in cats. This result shows that the incidence of conjunctivitis is higher than other eye diseases among the eye diseases observed in cats and dogs, similar to what has been reported in previous studies.
Uzunlu et al.18 reported keratitis cases as 11.11% in dogs and 15.58% in cats. Çatalkaya et al.19 reported that keratitis cases in cats were the most common eye disease after conjunctivitis with a rate of 19.59%. Sanchez et al.20 reported keratitis in 39 of 229 dogs (17.03%). In another study 16, keratitis was detected in 13 (21.7%) of 60 dogs with eye diseases. In this study, unlike the other studies, keratitis was encountered in 2 of 92 dogs (2.18%) and 1 of 107 cats (0.93%). The reason for the differences between the studies is thought to be due to periodic and seasonal changes.
Clinical findings in keratoconjunctivitis sicca include dryness, foreign body and stinging sensation, itching, pain, photophobia, redness and blurred vision10,21. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca has been reported to occur in brachycephalic dogs due to aging, genetic predisposition, hormonal changes and systemic diseases. Cavalier King Charles spaniel, English bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, West Highland White terrier, Pug, Bloodhound, American cocker spaniel, English cocker spaniel, English springer spaniel, Pekingese, Boston terrier, Miniature Schnauzer and Samoyed breeds are reported to be prone to this disease22,23. In this study, the observation of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in Terrier, French Bulldog, Cooker Spaniel and Pomerian breeds is consistent with the literature.
Cherry eye is a common ocular problem in dogs. In cats, on the contrary, it is rarely observed. Bulldog, Pekingese, Cocker Spaniel, Neapolitan Mastiff, Beagle and Basset Hound were reported to be the breeds predisposed to cherry eye24. In another study 25, it was reported that 1 of 8 cases of cherry eye found in cats and 7 cases found in dogs. In this study, cherry eye was detected in 1 cat and 5 dogs. The findings showed that the incidence of cherry eye was higher in dogs than in cats. In addition, the observation of cherry eye in Bulldog and Cocker Spaniel breeds was consistent with the literature. However, it is noteworthy that cherry eye was also found in a Terrier dog among other breeds in this study.
It has been reported that cherry eye are successfully corrected using Morgan’s pocket technique, which does not alter tear production or the morphology of the third eyelid gland ducts. It has been reported that this technique is easy to apply and has a higher success rate and fewer complications than other treatment methods such as conservative and excision of cherry eye26,27. In this study, cherry eye was successfully treated with Morgan's pocket technique.
Saraiva and Delgado28 reported that ocular dermoids were observed only in dogs in a study conducted in 103 dogs and 20 cats. In this study, the observation of ocular dermoids in only one dog among 107 cats and 92 dogs with eye diseases is consistent with the literature.
Symblepharon is adhesion of the palpebral conjunctiva to the bulbar conjunctiva or cornea. It has been reported that surgical treatment may be a solution, however, recurrence may be observed in cases where adhesions are prominent29,30. In this study, it was noteworthy that most of the 19 cats and 12 dogs with symblepharon were stray animals and all of them lacked the sense of sight. The recurrence of these adhesions in the operated animals despite the opening of the adhesions is consistent with the literature.
Many dog breeds4 and Persian cats2 are reported to be prone to entropion. Ergin et al.31 reported that entropion was observed more frequently in brachycephalic cats. In this study of 107 cats and 92 dogs with eye disease, entropion was detected in only 2 brachycephalic breeds, British Shorthair and Scottish Fold. Although there were 19 Persian cats with eye diseases in the study, it was found remarkable that entropion was not observed in these cats.
In conclusion, in this study, it was observed that the eye is sensitive to eye diseases due to its location and texture. It is concluded that each case should be approached in detail and carefully. The detailed anamnesis, clinical examinations and techniques used in this study have shown that the diseases are not only limited to the eye, but can sometimes occur as a result of a systemic infection. For this reason, it is concluded that a detailed, multidimensional examination of patients with eye disease complaints will help to make the correct diagnosis and the success of the treatment.
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