Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye drops with chondroitin sulfate help heal chronic corneal ulcers
By Ledbetter, Eric C et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of two chondroitin sulfate ophthalmic solutions in the therapy of spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects and ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic corneal problems, specifically spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCED) and ulcerative keratitis related to bullous keratopathy, were treated with two different eye drops containing chondroitin sulfate and antibiotics. After four weeks, about 81% of the dogs with SCCED showed improvement, while only 23.5% of those with ulcerative keratitis improved. Both treatments were similar in effectiveness, but there were some complications, including two dogs developing corneal abscesses. Overall, the eye drops helped with SCCED but were not effective for the other condition.
People also search for: dog eye problems treatment · SCCED in dogs · corneal ulcer treatment for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of two antimicrobial-chondroitin sulfate ophthalmic solutions in the therapy of spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCED) and ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy in dogs. ANIMALS STUDIED: Eighty dogs with SCCED and 14 dogs with ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy. PROCEDURE: Following manual debridement of nonadherent epithelium, dogs were treated topically with a chondroitin sulfate ophthalmic solution containing either tobramycin or ciprofloxacin. Patients were re-evaluated at 2-week intervals for 4 weeks. RESULTS: After 2 weeks of treatment, 53.6% of eyes with SCCED and 17.6% of eyes with ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy had healed. After 4 weeks of treatment, 81.0% of eyes with SCCED and 23.5% of eyes with ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy had healed. There were no statistically significant differences in healing percentages between the tobramycin-chondroitin sulfate solution treatment groups and the ciprofloxacin-chondroitin sulfate solution treatment groups. Two dogs with SCCED, one treated with the tobramycin-chondroitin sulfate solution and the other treated with the ciprofloxacin-chondroitin sulfate solution, developed sterile corneal stromal abscesses during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Topical therapy with an antimicrobial-chondroitin sulfate ophthalmic solution combined with manual debridement of nonadherent epithelium compares favorably with other published medical and surgical therapies for SCCED; however, these compounds are only equivocally more effective than therapy with manual debridement alone. These solutions appear to be ineffective in the treatment of ulcerative keratitis associated with bullous keratopathy. The significance of the two cases of corneal stromal abscessation is unknown at this time and warrants further investigation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16497231/