Presumptive keratoglobus in a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)

Rachael K Lau; Anneke Moresco; Sarah J Woods; Christopher M Reilly; Michelle G Hawkins; Christopher J Murphy; Steven R Hollingsworth; Dennis Hacker; Kate S Freeman

doi:10.1111/vop.12413

Presumptive keratoglobus in a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)

Vet Ophthalmol. 2017 Nov;20(6):560-567. doi: 10.1111/vop.12413. Epub 2016 Jul 31.

Authors

Rachael K Lau¹, Anneke Moresco^{2

3}, Sarah J Woods⁴, Christopher M Reilly⁵, Michelle G Hawkins⁶, Christopher J Murphy⁷, Steven R Hollingsworth⁴, Dennis Hacker⁸, Kate S Freeman⁹

Affiliations

¹ VCA West Lost Angeles, 1900 S Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90025, USA.
² Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital at Lindsay Wildlife Museum, 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek, CA, 94597, USA.
³ Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens- Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), 3400 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA.
⁴ Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁵ Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁶ Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁷ Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, UC Davis Eye Center, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
⁸ Animal Eye Specialists, 10324 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, CA, 94530, USA.
⁹ Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.

PMID: 27477943
DOI: 10.1111/vop.12413

Abstract

A juvenile to young adult, male, great horned owl (Bubo virginianus,GHOW) was presented to the wildlife rehabilitation hospital at Lindsay Wildlife Museum (WRHLWM) due to trauma to the right patagium from barbed wire entanglement. On presentation, both corneas were irregular, dry, and no movement of the third eyelid was noted. A severe corneal enlargement/globoid appearance was the predominant ophthalmic feature. The fundus was normal in both eyes (OU). Over the course of several days, both corneas developed edema combined with further dessication at the ocular surface associated with diffuse dorsal fluorescein stain uptake. Repeated ophthalmic examinations found normal intraocular pressures and an inability to move the third eyelid over the enlarged corneas. The bird was deemed nonreleasable due to severe wing damage and poor prognosis associated with eye abnormalities and was humanely euthanized. Postmortem CT, enucleation, and histopathology were performed to evaluate the ocular anatomical abnormality and confirm the suspected diagnosis of keratoglobus. This GHOW represents the first reported case of presumptive keratoglobus in a raptor.

Keywords: avian; great horned owl; keratoconus; keratoglobus; megalocornea; raptor.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild
Bird Diseases / diagnosis*
Bird Diseases / pathology
Corneal Diseases / diagnosis
Corneal Diseases / pathology
Corneal Diseases / veterinary*
Male
Strigiformes*