Corneal cross-linking in 9 horses with ulcerative keratitis.

Summary

# Corneal cross-linking for equine ulcerative keratitis Corneal ulceration represents a significant clinical challenge in equine practice, with stromal melting and secondary infection posing serious threats to vision retention. Hellander-Edman and colleagues evaluated corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL)—a technique whereby riboflavin instillation followed by UVA illumination strengthens corneal tissue—as a treatment for nine horses with active ulcerative keratitis, performed under standing sedation without general anaesthesia. The procedure successfully stabilised melting corneas and appeared to halt disease progression, demonstrating that CXL is technically feasible in the standing equine patient and may offer a valuable adjunctive therapy where enzymatic stromal breakdown or microbial invasion threatens corneal integrity. For practitioners managing corneal ulcers refractory to conventional medical management or where rapid stabilisation is critical, this cross-linking approach warrants consideration as part of a comprehensive treatment strategy, particularly in cases with evidence of stromal involvement. Further work would be valuable to establish optimal timing of intervention, long-term visual outcomes, and whether CXL reduces the need for more invasive surgical approaches.

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Key Findings

• •Corneal cross-linking (CXL) was successfully performed in 9 sedated standing horses with ulcerative keratitis
• •CXL using riboflavin and UVA light stabilized corneal stroma and prevented melting in treated cases
• •The technique was feasible to perform in standing horses under sedation without general anesthesia

Conditions Studied