Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treating chronic superficial keratitis in dogs with tacrolimus
By Balicki, I·Published in Polish journal of veterinary sciences·2012·Department and Clinic of Animal Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical study on the application of tacrolimus and DMSO in the treatment of chronic superficial keratitis in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 16 dogs, aged 3 to 11 years, were treated for chronic superficial keratitis (CSK), which causes inflammation and redness in the eyes. The dogs received eye drops containing tacrolimus and DMSO three times a day for five weeks. After treatment, there was a significant decrease in inflammation and new blood vessel growth in the corneas, with the affected area dropping from about 70% to 44% in one eye and from 59% to 39% in the other. However, while some dogs showed reduced pigmentation in their eyes, others experienced an increase. Overall, the treatment helped with inflammation but did not stop pigmentation changes in many cases.
People also search for: dog eye redness treatment · chronic superficial keratitis in dogs · tacrolimus for dog eye problems
Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess the treatment of chronic superficial keratitis (CSK) in dogs with the use of tacrolimus and DMSO. The study was conducted on 16 dogs - 7 males and 9 females, aged 3 to 11 years, diagnosed with CSK. The disease was treated with ophthalmic drops containing 0.02% tacrolimus and 50% DMSO, administered to the ocular surface three times a day. Prior to the treatment and after 5 weeks of therapy, the corneal neovascularisation, pigmentation, and also the redness and depigmentation of the third eyelid margin were assessed. The percentage of the corneal surface afflicted with inflammatory processes was calculated on the basis of photographs taken with the use of IsoCalc.com's Get Area software for Corel DRAW 12. It was found that the application of tacrolimus and DMSO caused a reduction of inflammatory process and neovascularisation in the cornea. The mean corneal surface afflicted with inflammatory processes was statistically significantly reduced from 69.9% to 43.9% (p < or = 0.01)--in case of the right corneas, and from 58.9% to 38.6% in case of the left corneas. Of 32 corneas diagnosed with the pigmentation, the reduction of the pigmentation was observed in 14, while in 16 the pigmentation increased. The treatment of CSK with the use of tacrolimus and DMSO causes the reduction in terms of inflammatory processes and neovascularisation, but in many cases does not inhibit the progress of the pigmentation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23390756/