Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye injuries in dogs caused by sports balls and their treatment
By Chan, Remington X & Ledbetter, Eric C·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2022·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sports ball projectile ocular trauma in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old dog suffered an eye injury after being hit by a golf ball during play. The injury caused significant damage, leading to symptoms like swelling and bleeding in the eye. The vet treated the dog with medication, and fortunately, the dog was able to keep its vision. However, other dogs with more severe injuries from similar incidents had to undergo surgery or even have their eye removed. It's important for pet owners to be cautious when playing with sports balls around dogs to prevent these types of injuries.
People also search for: dog eye injury from ball · how to treat dog eye trauma · sports ball injury in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features, management, and outcome of dogs presenting with sports ball projectile ocular injuries. ANIMALS STUDIED: Eighteen dogs. PROCEDURES: A retrospective study reviewing cases of ocular injury due to a sports ball projectile that presented to the Cornell University ophthalmology service between 2004 and 2021. Dog age, type of sports ball, initial ocular lesions, eye affected, clinical management, and visual outcome were recorded. RESULTS: Sports ball projectile ocular injuries were identified in 18 eyes of 18 dogs. The median age of the dogs was 1.0 years old, ranging from 0.3- to 9-years- old. Nine dogs were male, and 9 were female. Ocular injuries were caused by small, dense balls (e.g., golf balls, baseballs) in 11 dogs; small, light balls (e.g., tennis balls, toy balls) in 5 dogs; and large, soft balls (e.g., soccer ball, football) in 2 dogs. Closed-globe injuries (12 of 18 eyes) presented with traumatic uveitis (91%), hyphema (45%), and subconjunctival hemorrhage (18%). All 12 closed-globe injury cases were medically managed, eight dogs remained visual. Open-globe injuries (6 of 18 dogs) presented with three corneal lacerations and three scleral ruptures. Five open-globe injuries required enucleation, and one was medically managed and maintained vision. CONCLUSION: Sports ball projectile ocular injuries in dogs can result in substantial ocular morbidity and in loss of vision. Small, dense balls were associated with injuries that carried the most guarded prognosis and required more aggressive management. Small and large lighter projectiles were associated with less serious ocular injuries and visual outcomes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35384230/