Complications of infectious diseases, influenza, contagious pneumonia,
strangles, tuberculosis, omphalitis. Symptoms: exudation of fibrine
and blood, with those of simple iritis. Treatment: as in iritis, plus
measures for the specific primary disease. When second eye is
threatened enucleation.
Under this head Möller describes those forms of iritis which occur as
complications of various infectious diseases. It has long been observed
that iritis and other ophthalmias, occurred as complications of the
acute infectious diseases of the respiratory organs of the horse
formerly known under the general name of “influenza.” More recently many
veterinarians and others have classed these influenza iritis separately
under the name of “pinkeye.” The same can be said of “contagious
pneumonia” (brustsenche) of horses which is distinctly caused by the
_diplococcus_ (_streptococcus_) _pneumoniæ equina_. Attention was called
to the iritic complication of this disease in 1881 by Siedamgrotzky and
it has been often noticed since. Conjunctivitis is however a more
frequent complication of this disease than iritis. In both influenza and
contagious pneumonia the iritis often supervenes when convalescence has
apparently set in. Strangles is another affection in which the iris
occasionally suffers. Mathieu has described tuberculosis of the iris in
cattle, and Möller mentions with some hesitancy cases of iritis which
complicated the infection of the navel in new born animals.
The _symptoms_ of symptomatic iritis vary according to the particular
infection. In addition to the fibrinous exudate the infections of the
respiratory organs are liable to be complicated by blood extravasations.
In influenza this may show as deep blotches on the bulbar conjunctiva
and in chemosis. In contagious pneumonia Schütz met with iritis of a
distinctly hæmorrhagic character.
In Matthieu’s cases of tubercle of the iris there was first a slight
lachrymation, and soon the iris assumed a grayish tint, and became
uneven and unduly approximated to the cornea though it failed to become
adherent to it. The swellings of the iris increased and became of a
grayish yellow color, and the pupil was usually contracted and varied
little in size. Post mortem examination showed the presence of
tubercles. The same condition has become familiar in connection with
experimental inoculation in the eye. As in ordinary iritis adhesion to
the capsule of the lens and cataract are common results.
Apart from the _treatment_ of the specific primary disease this type of
iritis demands the same treatment as other forms. Strong atropia lotions
to prevent or break up adhesions and antiseptic astringents are
especially indicated. When implication of the second eye is threatened
it may be desirable to remove the first by enucleation. (See
Panophthalmitis).