Penetrating eye injury in a dog: a case report

A four-year-old, male German Shepherd dog with severe pain in the left eye following a corneal perforation with a foreign body was examined. An ophthalmic examination revealed conjunctival hyperaemia and pancorneal dense oedema, preventing a diagnosis of deeper structures of the eye and lowered IOP. Vision testing was missing or impossible to detect. Ultrasonography showed a solid hyperechoic line protruding through the iris and lens into the vitreous and minor posterior lens displacement. The dog qualified for immediate surgical treatment. Intraoperative ophthalmic examination revealed a rupture of the anterior hyaloid membrane with vitreous herniation, posterior lens subluxation, lens capsule rupture and a torn iris. Partial iridectomy and intracapsular lens extraction (ICLE) was conducted. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed iridodonesis and a gradual reduction of the corneal oedema, leading to complete transparency in the bottom two-thirds of the area on Day 12 after surgery. Direct and consensual PLR was sluggish and the dazzle reflex was positive. An electroretinographic examination confirmed normal activity of the retina.