ABSTRACT
A complete ocular examination should be done in all critically ill patients. A thorough ocular examination of the critically ill patient should include evaluation of both anterior and posterior segments. Magnification should be used to evaluate corneal, conjunctival, and scleral integrity and to look for aqueous flare or anterior chamber hemorrhage. Fundic examination is particularly important in animals suspected of having neuropathies, vasculopathies, immune-mediated diseases, or infectious diseases, because these frequently have ocular manifestations. Vision loss may be due to ocular disease and brainstem or cerebral cortical disease. In some critically ill patients such as victims of head trauma, assessment of vision may be challenging. The symptoms for which animals with ocular trauma are presented depend on whether the trauma was blunt or sharp and on the severity of the trauma. Animals with ocular inflammation should receive aggressive ocular anti-inflammatory therapy.
