Dry eye is a common and difficult-to-cure chronic disease in canine ophthalmology. Dry eye is a chronic disease caused by insufficient tears, which causes repeated inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva. There will be a lot of green and yellow eye secretions, and the surface of the eye will gradually change from transparent to white, and finally there will be melanin precipitation. If it is diagnosed too late or the treatment method is wrong, the worst result may be corneal perforation or even blindness.
Tears are the most important line of defense for protecting the eyes. Without them, the eyes will be directly exposed to bacteria and allergens in the air, and there is a risk of inflammation at any time. To be precise, the tear layer on the surface of the eyeball is not just water. In fact, this layer of tears is divided into an outer layer, a middle layer, and an inner layer.
🔹Outer layer
The oil layer, secreted by the sebaceous glands of the eyelids, is responsible for locking the tears in the middle and inner layers and prolonging the time for tears to evaporate.
🔹Middle level
Secreted by the tear glands of the third eyelid and the tear gland tissue on the outside of the upper eyelid, the middle layer of tears is aqueous and consists of more than 70 ingredients, such as protein, vitamins, glucose, etc., providing oxygen and nutrients as well as lubrication to the cornea without blood vessels.
🔹Inner layer
The main function of mucin secreted by conjunctival cells is to attach the aqueous middle layer of tears to the hydrophilic corneal cells.
If any of these three layers of tears is missing, the eyes will lose their normal protection. There are many reasons for dry eyes, some of which are even unknown. Genetic reasons often occur in certain dog breeds and at different ages, such as Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Pekingese, Pug, Cocker Spaniel, Bulldog, etc.
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【Causes of Dry Eyes】
🧑🏻⚕️-Iatrogenic
It is caused by drugs or surgery. For example, the sulfonamide drugs in most human eye drops can damage the dog's tear glands. Long-term use may cause dry eyes in dogs. Using surgery to remove the entire third eyelid to treat cherry eyes can also easily cause dry eyes. If your dog has cherry eyes and needs surgery, you must communicate clearly with the doctor before the surgery. It is recommended that you choose third eyelid repositioning surgery instead of directly removing the third eyelid. This can avoid the risk of sequelae of dry eyes.
🧑🏻⚕️-Autoimmune system triggers
In addition, up to 30% of spontaneous dry eye is related to the autoimmune system, and this type of patient usually has other related immune abnormalities.
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🩺Treatment of dry eyes:
1. Tear stimulants
This is also the most important drug for treating dry eyes. The main ingredient is cyclosporin, which can stimulate the production of tears, inhibit inflammation and bacterial growth, and inhibit corneal pigmentation. This is currently recognized by the world as the most commonly used, safe and standard daily treatment for canine dry eyes. In the early days, most veterinarians would mix corn oil with cyclosporin to prepare eye oil of a certain concentration. Currently, Optimmune eye ointment commercialized by American pharmaceutical companies is available on the market. Although it is expensive, the actual effect is better than self-mixing. Because self-mixing still has the disadvantages of errors or different concentrations.
2. Artificial tears
Before the eyes can secrete tears on their own, it is necessary to use artificial tear film. In some severe cases where the tear glands have completely lost their function, artificial tear film may even be used for life. Artificial tear film is different from artificial tears. If you only use aqueous saline or oil-free artificial tears, you must apply it every 1-2 hours to achieve a protective effect similar to tears. In fact, it is difficult for someone to apply medicine to their dog every day and every hour. There are many types of artificial tear films on the market, and the ingredients and moisturizing properties vary greatly. If you are determined to use it for a long time, you must follow the prescription of an experienced doctor and avoid purchasing and using it on your own.
3. Antibiotics eye drops
Most patients with dry eyes are accompanied by bacterial infections, so antibiotics are necessary. Choosing the right antibiotics must be based on the professional judgment of a doctor. If you have been using antibiotics on your own for a period of time, a large number of drug-resistant bacteria may have been produced. In this case, bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity tests must be performed to select the most suitable antibiotics.
Dry eye is very easy to be confused with bacterial conjunctivitis and misdiagnosed. If your dog has long-term eye inflammation symptoms and no medical treatment has improved, you should seek more detailed examination and treatment from an experienced ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Dry eye is a chronic killer of vision. If long-term treatment is incorrect or delayed, the most serious consequence is total blindness. Dog lovers must be careful!
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