Iris abscesses with and without intralenticular fungal invasion in the horse.

This research article explores the clinical and histological findings in horses with iris abscesses, marking the first clinical report of this nature. The paper incorporates a retrospective study design investigating medical records of horses treated for iris abscesses. The research highlights varied treatment responses and outcomes in six different horses.

Research Methodology

• The study is retrospective in nature and it uses medical records from various veterinary medical centers from 2005 to 2008.
• Records reviewed belonged to horses with diagnosed iris abscesses. Different breeds of horses were represented in this study including Quarterhorses, a pony, a warmblood, a Westphalian, and an Arab horse.
• Data collected included specific details such as the breed, clinical and histologic recollections of ocular lesions, treatments administered, complications encountered, and the final visual outcomes.

Findings

• Among the six horses with iris abscesses, all displayed varying degrees of iridocyclitis, an inflammation of the iris and ciliary body within the eye.
• In two cases, the iris abscesses were accompanied by deep stromal abscesses. One of these horses responded positively to just medical therapy, while the other required both medical therapy and corneal transplantation.
• Iris abscesses in two other horses were linked with intralenticular invasion caused by a Cladosporium and a Fusarium-type fungus, respectively. Both cases led to enucleation, the surgical removal of the eye.
• In the remaining cases, where there was no lens involvement, recoveries were seen after medical therapy alone or with surgical intervention to remove the iris abscess.

Conclusions

• The study provides the first clinical report of iris abscesses in horses and is the inaugural record of fungal invasion of the horse lens.
• This research serves to increase our understanding of iris abscesses in horses, and the varied treatments and outcomes applied.