Todayโs path rounds are on ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐๐ฌ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐๐ฌ are areas on the ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ (front surface of the eye) or ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ (soft tissue surrounding the eye) that developed improperly. Instead of forming normal ocular tissue, the area has developed into skin-like tissue! These areas can include everything from hair to sweat glands to even bone and cartilage.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Any species can get these!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
These lesions seem to be a ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ (randomly occurring) change, with no known predisposing factors. It is thought that they develop because of a defect in the signaling that the ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ฒ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ (major tissue cell type) in the area receive during development, causing them to develop into the wrong โtypeโ of tissue.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
These lesions typically arenโt problematic on their own, however definitely arenโt very pleasing to look at! Generally these lesions only cause problems if they interfere with the animalโs vision, or if the lesion has hairs that irritate surrounding ocular tissue.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Because these lesions actually sit on top of the eye surface, they are able to be removed surgically without a risk of rupturing the eye. Typically surgical removal is done for cosmetic reasons or if the lesion is causing a medical issue.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-5) Examples of dermoids! These photos are from dogs and cattle.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 2. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1-5 courtesy of Noahโs Arkive.
