Equine Ophthalmology Service

Equine Ophthalmology Service

Welcome to the Equine Ophthalmology Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Our team of ophthalmology specialists are dedicated to providing the highest level of equine eye care. The Service provides advanced diagnostics, as well as routine, complex and emergency medical and surgical care to horses with a variety of ocular disorders, including corneal ulcers, corneal and eyelid cancer, equine recurrent uveitis, cataracts, and glaucoma. Whether you are a horse owner, a referring equine veterinarian, or an ophthalmology specialist yourself, our Service is here to help you with procedures ranging from a routine eye examination to a complex surgery.

Clinical Activities and Procedures

The Equine Ophthalmology Service provides advanced diagnostics, as well as routine, complex and emergency medical and surgical care to horses with a variety of ocular disorders, including:

• Corneal ulcers
• Immune-mediated keratitis (IMMK)
• Corneal and eyelid cancer
• Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU)
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma

Specialized tests and diagnostics include:

• Slit lamp biomicroscopy
• Tonometry (measurement of intraocular pressure)
• Corneal culture and cytology
• Electroretinogram or ERG (a specialized test of retinal function)
• High-frequency ultrasound 
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
• Standing head computed tomography (CT)
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Surgical and microsurgical procedures include:

• Corneal grafting procedures
• Suprachoroidal cyclosporine implants for ERU 
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for immune-mediated keratitis and tumors of the eye and eyelids
• Cataract surgery 
• Enucleation (eye removal surgery)

Our service consists of faculty, residents, and technicians who provide a team approach to each patient’s care. Regardless of the presenting complaint, all new patients of the Equine Ophthalmology Service receive a complete physical and ophthalmic examination.

 Faculty

Kathryn Good, DVM, DACVO
Professor
Chief of Service

Lauren Charnock, DVM, MS, DACVO
Assistant Professor
Ophthalmology Equine Liaison

 

Soohyun Kim, DVM, PhD, DACVO
Associate Professor

Bianca C. Martins, DVM, PhD, DACVO
Associate Professor
 

Sara M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO
Professor

House Officers

Allyssa Cloet, DVM
Resident II

Samuel McCuskey IV, DVM
Resident I

Erinn Mills, DVM
Resident IV

Allison Shannon, DVM
Resident II

George Thelwell, BVetMed, MRCVS
Resident II