Ophthalmic lesions in neonatal foals evaluated for nonophthalmic disease at referral hospitals.

This research study investigates the types and frequency of eye problems in newborn horses (foals) that were examined for non-eye related diseases at three veterinary hospitals, and their possible link to systemic diseases.

Methods

• The study is a prospective cross-sectional research comprising 70 foals who were less than 30 days old.
• All foals underwent complete ophthalmic examinations.
• The researchers recorded information such as the foal’s individual characteristics (signalment), clinical signs, behavior during the eye examination, results of laboratory tests, and diagnosis of any systemic disease.
• Descriptive data analysis was performed, including a χ(2) chi-square statistical test to study any associations.

Results

• The study found that more than half of the foals (55.7%) having a systemic disease also had at least one eye problem.
• 61.5% of foals with eye problems had potentially vision-threatening lesions.
• Some of the critical abnormalities found were conjunctival hyperemia or episcleral injection, uveitis, ulcerative keratitis, non-ulcerative keratitis, entropion, retinal hemorrhage, and cataract.
• Foals with sepsis—a condition where the body responds to infection—were more likely to develop uveitis, an inflammation of the eye’s middle layer.
• On a grim note, foals with both sepsis and uveitis were observed to have lower survival rates compared to foals having only sepsis without uveitis.
• Acquired eye disease was significantly more common (found in 52.9% foals) than congenital eye disease (found in 12.9%).

Conclusions

• The research indicates that 55.7% of newborn foals having systemic disease also displayed eye problems.
• Acquired eye problems were found to be more prevalent than congenital ones.
• Foals with sepsis were more likely to have an eye inflammation known as uveitis than those foals without sepsis.
• The study highly recommends a complete ophthalmic examination for neonatal foals being evaluated for any systemic disease due to the significant occurrence of eye problems.