[Clinical case report: unilateral malformation of the eye of a thoroughbred foal].

This research article discusses a unique case of an eye malformation in a thoroughbred foal, referring to the malformation as “lenticulus”. The foal’s condition is not clearly linked to the mother horse’s previous eye disease.

Case Description

• The article presents a case study of a thoroughbred foal afflicted with an eye malformation on one side. The malformation specifically affects the lens of the eye, which is unusually diminutive, a condition the authors have named “lenticulus”.
• Despite this malformation, the foal’s eyeball maintains a normal – or physiological – size.
• Along with this lenticulus, the afflicted eye also exhibits a state of constant maximal dilation, a medical condition termed as mydriasis, which could not be reversed or controlled.

Additional Observations

• Further complicating the examination and treatment of this case, a brown-black pigmented mass was found to obstruct the inspection of the middle and rear portions of the eye. The internal examination of the eye was thus inhibited by this pigmented mass.
• The research also draws attention to the foal’s unusual or insecure behaviour, potentially another symptom or effect of the eye malformation.

Speculations on Causative Factors

• Despite a thorough investigation, the authors could not substantiate clear causal links between this unique ocular malformation and the case of iridocyclochoroiditis – an inflammation of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid – which the foal’s mother had undergone treatment for approximately a year ago.
• The lack of apparent connection does not definitively rule out the genetic transmission of ocular disorders, but in this particular case, no direct link could be established.