Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), or dry eye, is inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva caused by too little tear film. In dogs it is usually a lifelong, immune-mediated loss of aqueous tears that, left untreated, scars and pigments the cornea until the dog cannot see. It is common, it is easy to miss as "conjunctivitis", and it is confirmed with a one-minute test that every practitioner can run.
Key facts
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca at a glance- Species and system: dog; special senses (eye: lacrimal glands, conjunctiva, cornea).
- How common: reported annual incidence in North America of 0.3% to 1.52% (Dodi 2015).
- Cause: most often immune-mediated destruction of the lacrimal and third eyelid glands; also drugs (sulfonamides, etodolac), neurogenic loss of CN VII supply, distemper, congenital alacrima and removal of the third eyelid gland.
- Classic presentation: middle-aged dog of a predisposed breed with thick mucoid to mucopurulent discharge, red eye and a dull cornea that has not responded to antibiotics.
- Key test: Schirmer tear test I (STT I); normal is over 15 mm/min.
- Treatment: topical cyclosporine or tacrolimus plus tear replacement, usually for life. Not zoonotic and not reportable.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 6 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 17 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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