Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Third eyelid cartilage eversion in an adult mare.
- Journal:
- Veterinary ophthalmology
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- D'Agostino, Albert L et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 22-year-old American Quarter Horse mare was taken to the veterinary hospital because her left eye's third eyelid cartilage was sticking out abnormally for two weeks, and there was no recent injury. After a thorough eye exam, the veterinarians found that the cartilage of the third eyelid was turned inside out. They surgically removed the abnormal cartilage and sent it for further testing, which showed that the cartilage itself was normal and there were no signs of cancer or inflammation, although there was some thickening of the tissue. The mare recovered well after the surgery, and her third eyelid returned to its normal appearance.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To describe the first report of third eyelid cartilage eversion in an adult American Quarter Horse mare. CASE PRESENTATION: A 22-year-old American Quarter Horse mare presented to the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center Equine Hospital for a 2-week history of a third eyelid cartilage abnormality of the left eye with no known recent trauma. Complete ophthalmic examination revealed third eyelid cartilage eversion of the left nictitans. The abnormal scrolled cartilage was surgically excised using a handheld cautery unit and submitted for histopathologic evaluation. RESULTS: Histopathologic findings displayed normal third eyelid cartilage, without evidence of neoplasia or inflammation. Mucosal hyperplasia and increased vascularity of the submucosa were observed. The horse healed well after electrocautery excision and normal third eyelid conformation was restored. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an acquired, presumed spontaneous, third eyelid cartilage eversion in a horse.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39393908/