Diagnostics
• Scraping for Cytology and Cultures
o The cultures should be done before any drops, (drugs contain bacteriostatic agents)
o Topical anesthetics and the handle end of a scalpel blade to scrape.
o Sterile dacron swabs for culture.
• Culture cornea BEFORE applying anything to the eye if overt infection is suspected
o Aerobic
o Fungal
• Fluorescein stain every eye that is PAINFUL!
o Blepharospasm
o Epiphora
o Redness
o Corneal opacities
• Rose Bengal Stain
o Viral Keratitis
o Early Fungal Keratitis
o Assess tear film
• Deep corneal scrapings, at the edge and base of the ulcer to detect bacteria and fungal hyphae
• Obtained with topical anesthesia and the blunt, handle end of a sterile scalpel blade.
• Superficial swabbing cannot be expected to yield fungi in a high percentage of cases.
Corneal ulceration
• Characterize
o Depth
• Superficial
• Deep (Stromal)
• Descemetocele
• Perforating
o Cause
• Infectious (fungal, bacterial, viral)
• Traumatic
• Immune-mediated
o Duration
• Response to previous treatments
Superficial ulceration
• Epithelium only
• Foals (Increased incidence compared to adults)
o Corneal sensitivity in foals is very poor.
o Lower tear production in foals compared to adult's
• Painful
Stromal ulceration
• Epithelium and collagen is lost
• Variation of the clinical picture
• Descemetoceles
o Epithelium and stroma are not present
o Buldge of DM into the defect
o EMERGENCY! 
