Ophthalmic Exam Flashcards
What are westies predisposed to?
Dry eye - keratoconjunctivitis sicca
What are terriers predisposed to?
Lens luxation
What is hyphaema?
Blood in anterior chamber
What would you suspect of a puppy with hyphaema?
Congenital anomaly
What wold you suspect with a 12 yo dog with hyphaema?
Intraocular neoplasm
What would you suspect with 12 yo cat with hyphaema?
Systemic hypertension
What history should we find out about the ophthalmic history?
- When did the problem start?
- Sudden or gradual in onset?
- Is it progressive?
- One eye or both eyes?
- Pain?
–Closing eye (blepharospasm) ‘winking and blinking’?
–Rubbing eye(s) with paw or on carpet?
•Vision?
–Any difference in day vs night?
–What is vision like in unfamiliar surroundings?
•Change in appearance of eye?
–E.g. redness, discharge…
How do you start an ophthalmic exam?
From a distance
What can we do as part of the hands off ophthalmic exam? (7)
- Symmetry of face
- Symmetry between eyes
- Ocular discharge
- Eye(s) open or closed
- Size of palpebral fissure
- Position of third eyelid
What can be seen?

Different iris colour
What can be seen here?

Left sided facial nerve paralysis and vestibular syndrome
Left head tilt, drooping of left lip
What is this?

Globe rupture secondary to an intraocular melanoma,
copious black discharge
What is this?

Cat with Horner’s syndrome
What can you do as part of the hands on eye exam? (5)
- External anatomy
- Palpation
- Look under upper eyelid
- Examine anterior surface of third eyelid
- Retropulsion
Label
- Upper eyelid with lashes
- Third eyelid
- Medial canthus
- Iris
- Lower eyelid, no lashes
- Limbus
- Sclera
- Conjunctiva
- Lateral canthus
What can be seen?
Describe the use

Purkinje image or corneal ‘reflex’
Provides information on tear film and surface contour
Two white areas – rfeflection of light on the surface. E.g. lights in room, torch or camera.
Surface health of the eye!!
What is this?

Purkinje image
What is this?
Corpora nigra (granula iridca)
What does this show?

Anterior third eyelid
What can be seen?
Palpation (orbital rim)
What are the basic eye reflexes? (5)
- Palpebral reflex
- Menace response
- Dazzle reflex
- Pupillary light reflexes
- Vestibulo-ocular reflex
Palpebral reflex:
A) What is the afferent pathway?
B) What is the efferent pathway?
C) What is the stimulus?
D) What is the normal response?
A) Trigeminal nerve (CN V)
Ophthalmic branch for medial canthus
Maxillary branch for lateral canthus
B) VII
C) Touch gently the medial canthus and lateral canthus
D) Blink (VII)
Menace response:
A) What is the afferent path?
B) What is efferent path?
C) What is the stimulus?
D) What is the normal response?
A) II
B) VII and involves cerebellum
C) Quick, threatening gesture to each eye in turn
D) Stimulated eye should blink
When is the menance response present:
A) In Puppy/kitten?
B) Foals?
A) 12 weeks
B) 1-2 days









