Equine eye problems can be challenging for practitioners and owners to manage. They can be particularly difficult to treat when veterinarians are still just trying to determine problem’s root cause. One such issue is eosinophilic keratoconjunctivitis (EK).

At the 2013 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held Dec. 7-11 in Nashville, Tenn., Chelsey Miller, DVM, of Iron Will Mobile Veterinary Service, in Chapel Hill, N.C., described what veterinarians know about EK and how to currently best manage the condition medically.

Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that respond to allergic and/or parasitic stimuli. Miller said that while exact etiology remains unknown, EK (also referred to as equine eosinophilic keratitis) occurs when eosinophils invade the horse’s cornea. Miller said the disease typically occurs seasonally (92% of cases are reported from June to October, she said) in well-managed horses and seems to be prevalent in the mid-Atlantic and midwestern states.

Miller said that many affected horses (44%) have a history of conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva that lines the inner eyelids) or keratitis (corneal inflammation) in the past one to five years with a poor response to treatment for these conditions