ligneous conjunctivitis

lig·ne·ous con·junc·ti·vi·tis

conjunctivitis characterized typically by woody induration of the upper tarsal conjunctiva, whitish pseudomembrane, and, in severe cases, corneal opacity; usually bilateral.

ligneous conjunctivitis

A rare eye disease in which fibrin deposits create woody plaques on the conjunctiva. Similar plaques may develop in the airways and genitalia. The disease often is found in patients with a deficiency in plasminogen levels.

See also: conjunctivitis

conjunctivitis

inflammation of the conjunctiva. Extension of the inflammation to the cornea is common, hence keratoconjunctivitis. Individual cases may be due to trauma or to grass seed or other foreign body intrusion. The most serious conjunctivitides are the infectious ones, including those in which conjunctivitis is only an incidental lesion to more serious problems, e.g. rinderpest, malignant catarrhal fever, canine distemper, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis. The common specific conjunctivitides are Moraxella bovis infection in cattle, Rickettsia conjunctivae in sheep, goats and pigs, but there is no such infection in horses. In cats, feline herpesvirus and Chlamydophila felis cause a conjunctivitis. Parasitic conjunctivitis may be caused by Habronema spp. in horses and Thelazia spp. in all species. Classical signs of the disease are ocular discharge, serous at first, purulent later, and blepharospasm. Both eyes may be affected. Under-running of the conjunctiva and permanent opacity, even rupture of the eyeball, may follow.

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equine seasonal conjunctivitis

irritation caused by flies (Musca domestica) or release of Habronema larvae; called also summer conjunctivitis.

fetal conjunctivitis

present in many cases of intrauterine infection and the causative organism can be cultured from the site.

follicular conjunctivitis

proliferation of lymphoid tissue on the bulbar surface of the third eyelid, often extending to the adjacent bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva in response to any chronic inflammation or stimulation such as dust, entropion, ectropion, distichiasis or bacterial infection.

ligneous conjunctivitis

a chronic, membranous conjunctivitis involving the lids and third eyelid with deposition of amorphous eosinophilic hyaline material in the subconjunctival tissues. Young female Doberman pinschers may be predisposed.

conjunctivitis neonatorum

neonatal kittens infected by feline herpesvirus may have severe ocular involvement, even before their eyelids become unsealed. Ulcerative keratitis and panophthalmitis are common sequelae.

primary conjunctivitis

caused by infectious agents, parasites or toxic agents affecting the conjunctiva in the first instance.

secondary conjunctivitis

associated with foreign bodies or diseases of the cornea, lacrimal system, eyelids, orbit, or body as a whole.