Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How study of naturally occurring ocular disease in animals improves ocular health globally.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2022
- Authors:
- Gilger, Brian C
Plain-English summary
This article discusses how studying eye diseases that occur naturally in animals can help improve eye health for both animals and humans. Many of these diseases, like dry eye and infections caused by viruses or bacteria, are similar in pets and people. For example, conditions like uveitis (inflammation of the eye) and glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye) are common in both groups and share similar causes and treatments. Research on inherited eye diseases in dogs has led to new treatments, such as gene therapy, which shows how working together across different fields can benefit everyone's health. Overall, understanding these eye diseases in animals can help us learn more about how our environment and genetics affect eye health in both species.
Abstract
In this article, which is part of the Currents in One Health series, the role of naturally occurring ocular disease in animals is reviewed with emphasis on how the understanding of these ocular diseases contributes to one health initiatives, particularly the pathogenesis and treatment of ocular diseases common to animals and humans. Animals spontaneously develop ocular diseases that closely mimic those in humans, especially dry eye disease, herpes virus infection (cats), fungal keratitis (horses), bacterial keratoconjunctivitis, uveitis, and glaucoma. Both uveitis and glaucoma are common in domestic animals and humans, and many similarities exist in pathogenesis, genetics, and response to therapy. Furthermore, the study of inherited retinal disease in animals has particularly epitomized the one health concept, specifically the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working to attain optimal health for people and animals. Through this study of retinal disease in dogs, innovative therapies such as gene therapy have been developed. A unique opportunity exists to study ocular disease in shared environments to better understand the interplay between the environment, genetics, and ocular disease in both animals and humans. The companion Currents in One Health by Gilger, AJVR, December 2022, addresses in more detail recent studies of noninfectious immune-mediated animal ocular disease and their role in advancing ocular health globally.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36198052/