ABSTRACT
Ocular cytology can be very useful to the clinician in establishing a diagnosis, determining if a patient is responding appropriately to therapy, or determining the necessity for additional diagnostic testing. The clinician’s familiarity with the appearance of normal tissue and resident cell types is essential for accurate interpretation of a cytologic specimen. Common lesions of cytologic importance in the dog and cat include infectious and noninfectious inflammation, non-neoplastic masses, and neoplasia. Inflammation of the eyelid, termed blepharitis, may involve one or both eyelids and can present as focal or diffuse lesions. The inflammatory populations that occur in the eyelid parallel those found in skin of other parts of the body and follow a similar algorithm of differentials. Cytologically, inflammation of the conjunctiva is characterized by the type of inflammatory cells seen. Inflammation of the cornea can occur secondary to physical or chemical damage, infectious organisms, immune-mediated corneal disease, uveitis, and elevated ocular pressures.
