Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Descemet's membrane detachment in horses; case series and literature review.
- Journal:
- Veterinary ophthalmology
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Matas Riera, Màrian et al.
- Affiliation:
- Royal Veterinary College · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This article looks at a condition called Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) in horses, which can happen after a type of eye surgery known as phacoemulsification, often used to treat cataracts. The authors studied five eyes from four horses that developed DMD during or after their surgeries. They found that DMD was diagnosed either during the surgery, after it, or through further examination of the eye tissue. Although there are various treatments suggested for DMD, there isn't a widely accepted best way to treat it, and the authors think this condition may have been missed in veterinary medicine because of a lack of awareness. Overall, the study highlights the need for more attention to DMD in horses, especially following eye surgeries.
Abstract
The aim of this article was to describe Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) following phacoemulsification in five equine eyes and to review the human literature on this topic. In the last decade, there has been increased reporting of DMD in the human literature, in particular following cataract surgery. The natural history of DMD remains unknown and although various medical and surgical treatments have been advocated there is no recognized 'gold standard' treatment for DMD. This case series reports the diagnosis of DMD in four horses (5 eyes) in association with phacoemulsification surgery. The diagnosis of DMD in these patients was made intra-operatively, postoperatively or on subsequent histopathological examination. The surgical reports, photographic or video recordings, and ultrasound data were evaluated and possible factors associated with the pathophysiology of DMD are discussed. This is the first description of DMD in the veterinary literature, and the authors believe that DMD might hitherto have been overlooked in veterinary ophthalmology due to a lack of awareness of the condition. The possible causes, clinical signs, and treatment of DMD as described in the human literature are also reviewed.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25180582/