Surgical and medical treatment of eyelid coloboma in a cat: a case report

Year 2023, Vetexpo-2022, 202 - 202, 05.01.2023

Esra Acar Aynur Demir

Abstract

Eyelid coloboma is a congenital anomaly of the eyelids that is observed primarily in cats and rarely in dogs.Its clinical appearance can vary from corneal irritation to loss of vision as a result of corneal perforation of large defects.For this reason, cats and dogs born with open eyelids should be evaluated for coloboma.Depending on the degree of the anomaly and the changes in the cornea,it’s possible to keep it under control with medical treatment or to treat it with surgical techniques.One of the applied techniques is pedicle grafts. Our case was a 7-month-old, female, shorthaired cat who was referred to the Surgery Clinic of Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Veterinary Faculty with the complaint of whiteness in the left eye and stinging of the hairs turning into the cornea. In the ophthalmological examination of the patient, anterior synechia and corneal degeneration in the left eye and coloboma in the lower(1/4) and upper eyelids(2/3) and focal corneal vascularization as a result of trichiasis were detected.Although the deficiency in the lower eyelid was not a problem, drying due to the large upper eyelid defect and trichiasis caused the decision to be operated.Topical sodium hyaluronate and ofloxacin eye drops and dexpanthene eye gel were prescribed until the day of the operation.The upper eyelid defect was repaired using the Roberts and Bistner technique.In this technique, the pedicle graft taken from the lower eyelid was rotated and sutured using 3/0 PGA thread to cover the defect in the upper eyelid.The bulbar conjunctiva was fixed under the graft taken.No complications were observed in the 1st week follow-up after the operation.Topical artificial tears, antibiotics and dexpenthanol application're continued for 1.5 months until the upper eyelid became functional.Due to the patient's move to a different city, communication could not be established in the next period. Although eyelid coloboma is frequently encountered in cats, it can result in eye loss due to wrong diagnosis such as entropion and trichiasis.With this report,it's aimed to disseminate clinical practices by emphasizing the importance of correct diagnosis and conscious management of treatment in order to prevent vision loss.

Keywords

cat, eyelid coloboma, roberts and bistner technique