Objective: To determine incidence, trends in presentation, associated ocular lesions and other diseases, treatment modalities, and case outcomes of eyelid coloboma cases in snow leopards.
Animals: 49 snow leopards with eyelid coloboma living under managed care in North America.
Methods: Medical records were retrospectively searched to identify snow leopards in which eyelid coloboma was diagnosed between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2020. Data recorded from each animal included signalment, ophthalmic examination information, clinical signs, concurrent health conditions, medical and/or surgical interventions, time to resolution of signs, recurrence of clinical signs, and direct relatives with a history of eyelid coloboma.
Results: Ocular clinical signs were present at diagnosis in most cases but not seen in all cases. Corrective procedures were undertaken in 39 cases. Clinical signs were resolved by the total combination of interventions in 84.6% of individuals; however, signs resolved in only 33.3% of cases after a single surgical reconstruction or cryoablation procedure per eye.
Clinical relevance: Eyelid coloboma is widespread in the North American snow leopard population. A high percentage (73.5%) have an affected sibling, parent, or grandparent, suggesting a heritable component. Surgical correction resolves or improves clinical signs in most cases, but there is a high rate of postprocedural complications with all procedure types employed. Most complications are minor and manageable, but these can also impact case outcomes. Animals require long-term monitoring, as clinical signs may recur (in some cases, years after initial signs are reported to be resolved), and some animals may require long-term care to manage signs.
Keywords: North America; Panthera uncia; coloboma; eyelid; snow leopard.