Caracterización, biometría ecográfica y frecuencia de lesiones de estructuras oculares y perioculares de caballos de vaquería del departamento de Córdoba, Colombia

Abstract

The equine eye can be examined with simple portable equipment. To make an adequate diagnosis it is necessary to know the macroscopic and ultrasound anatomy of the orbit, the ocular globule and peri-ocular structures of the horses. In Colombia, no studies have been found that describe the anatomical variants of the ocular system, nor the biometric parameters of equines, so in this work a macroscopic description of the anatomical variants was made, some ultrasound biometric parameters were reported and the Frequency of lesions of the ocular and peri-ocular structures in a population of dairy horses in the department of Córdoba. An observational descriptive study was carried out in 100 eyes of cowherd horses of different breeds from the department of Córdoba selected for convenience, which underwent an ophthalmological examination under field conditions, recording the variations found in the eyeball and attached structures. as well as the injuries present. Additionally, a descriptive study of ocular biometry was carried out. The animals sampled were mainly of the Colombian Criollo breed (29/50; 58%) and Apaloosa (17/50; 34%), between 2 and 10 years old (35/50; 70%), and mostly female (32 / 50; 64%). Lesions were found in 44% (22/50) of the animals and 38% (38/100) of the eyes evaluated. Eyelid dermatitis and the injected conjunctiva were the most common lesions, with a frequency of 11.3% each. The biometric values obtained were: anterior chamber 0.68 ± 0.08 cm, lens width 2.00 ± 0.16 cm, lens length 1.11 ± 0.09 cm, glass chamber 1.80 ± 0.15 cm, axial length of the eyeball 3.91 ± 0.28cm. A difference between sexes was observed for measurements of the width of the lens and the axial length of the eyeball. This is the first prospective study of ocular lesions in dairy horses to be carried out in Colombia, and the first ultrasound ocular biometry report in dairy horses to be carried out in equines from Colombia. It was found that, although mild, many of the animals dedicated to dairy farming present alterations of ocular or peri ocular structures. Regarding ocular biometry, differences were found in measurements of the anterior chamber, the vitreous chamber and the axial length of the globe with respect to that reported by other authors.