Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New cornea implant tested to treat blindness in dogs
By Allgoewer, Ingrid et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2010·Animal Eye Practice, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A keratoprosthesis prototype for the dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Seven dogs that were completely blind due to severe corneal issues underwent surgery to implant a new type of artificial cornea called a keratoprosthesis. The surgery went well for six of the dogs, and they regained some vision afterward. Unfortunately, all five dogs with a specific type of corneal disease developed a serious infection a few months later, which required the removal of the artificial corneas. While this new treatment shows potential, further improvements are needed before it can be widely used in dogs.
People also search for: dog corneal blindness treatment · artificial cornea for dogs · dog eye surgery recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique for implantation of a novel keratoprosthesis (KP) prototype and evaluate its application for the treatment of corneal blindness in dogs. ANIMALS STUDIED: Seven dogs, all of them being clinically blind before surgery as a result of severe corneal endothelial disease (5/7) or chronic superficial keratitis (2/7) that were unresponsive to prior therapy. PROCEDURES: A silicone KP was implanted unilaterally, just anterior to Descemet's membrane, after creating a stromal pocket by deep stromal lamellar dissection. RESULTS: Implantation of the KP was accomplished without complication in six of seven operated dogs. In the remaining case, an intra-operative complication (perforation of Descemet's membrane) was associated with extrusion of the KP 8 weeks postoperatively. All operated eyes regained limited vision after surgery. Three to six months after implantation purulent keratitis occurred in all five eyes with endothelial disease, necessitating surgical removal of the KP 6 months postoperatively in 5/7 eyes. CONCLUSIONS: This KP prototype shows promise as a treatment for certain blinding corneal diseases. However, changes in the design of this KP, allowing improved stromal integration, will be necessary before its clinical application can be approved.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20149176/