For Emergencies:
A corneal sequestrum is a condition that we see in cats. Some breeds are predisposed, such as Persians. Sequestrums occur in response to chronic irritation seen with feline herpesvirus, entropion, dry eye and exposure.
It starts as a brown staining in the deeper levels of the cornea (Theo’s eye) and progresses to becoming darker (Ella’s eye) then forming a plaque (Mo’s eye). See photo’s below.
Photo 1: Theo, Photo 2: Ella, Photo 3: Mo
The lesion does not cause issues when confined to the stroma but once ulceration has occurred and the sequestrum breaks through the epithelium it causes considerable discomfort.
The treatment involves identifying and addressing the underlying cause with a thorough ophthalmic examination, and Microsurgery using the operating microscope to remove the sequestrum followed by a grafting procedure as gold standard. A grafting procedure reduces the risk of recurrence following removal.
Willow’s eye pre and post surgery!
You can see how the lovely Willow’s eye looked prior to surgery, with her sequestrum, and after surgery following her graft. She is much more comfortable now the sequestrum has been removed!
