Equine eosinophilic keratitis: An emergent ocular condition?

Summary Eosinophilic keratitis ( EK ) is considered an immune mediated disorder associated with an underlying type I or IV hypersensitivity reaction to parasitic or environment allergens. It is believed that the persistency of inflammatory mediators and recruitment of eosinophils into the conjunctival tissue have detrimental effects on the corneal surface. Epithelial cells are consequently damaged, particularly by eosinophilic toxic proteins, which determine the lack of epithelial healing and plaque formation. Although some clinical signs are common to other corneal diseases, the location of the lesion, presence of corneal plaques and time of the year, may help practitioners to identify EK . Topical therapy with steroids or immune‐modulators seems to be the most effective treatment in small, localised lesions while large epithelial defects will benefit from a thorough debridement and/or early keratectomy, before secondary microbial infection may occur.