Pannus

What is Pannus: Pannus, also known as chronic superficial keratitis, is a disease involving the cornea of the eye and in some cases the conjunctiva. It causes pink or tan lesions to start to develop along the outer edges of the cornea. Pannus generally effects both eyes simultaneously and is progressive, so the lesions will eventually begin to move inward and enlarge involving the entire cornea. This disease can lead to blindness.

Breeds affected: Pannus is generally known as a German Shepherd Dog eye disease but has also been seen in the Belgian Tervuren, Border Collie, Greyhound, and Siberian Husky.

Causes of Pannus: The causes of pannus are not completely understood. Heredity seems to be a factor. It is also believed to be immune mediated, where the immune system seems to attack the cells in the cornea. Another factor is sunlight, dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors are more prone to developing the disease. Pannus is also more common in dogs that live in higher elevations, greater than 5000 feet.

Symptoms: Pannus is usually seen in adult, middle aged dogs of the common breeds listed above. Opaque pink or tan lesions can be noted in the eyes, the lesions do not have to necessarily be symmetrical. This disease is usually not painful, if your dog seems painful (pawing at the face) another eye disease, like a corneal ulcer, maybe the culprit.

Diagnosis: A complete eye exam by a veterinarian should be performed to diagnose pannus and rule out other eye diseases, like corneal eye ulcers and keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (KCS).

Treatment: There is no known cure for pannus, treatment is aimed at controlling lesions and preventing progression. Treatment generally consists of anti-inflammatory medications in the form of eye drops and/or eye ointments: Cyclosporine, Optimune, 1% Prednisolone Acetate, 1% Prednisolone Sodium Phosphate, and 0.1% Dexamethasone Ophthalmic are all commonly prescribed to treat pannus.

Additional Information:

• There is no known cure for pannus and treatment is generally for the life of the pet.
• If treatment is discontinued, for whatever reason, the lesions do return.
• Pannus is more common in dogs who are exposed to a great deal of sunlight, special made goggles are available for dogs to help protect their eyes from the sun. It may take some time to teach the dog to wear the goggles, but with some patience and work, most dogs will get used to wearing them. Ideally dogs with pannus should spend the majority of their time indoors, the goggles can be worn when they have to go outside and for family outings.

Related Articles: Entropion and Ectropion and Corneal Eye Ulcers

References:

Common Diseases of Companion Animals, Alleice Summers, MS, DVM (Mosby, Inc. 2002)

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