CASE REPORT: Bilateral vision loss in a captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Abstract

The following case report describes a 1-year-old female cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) with bilateral blindness and unresponsive pupils. For comparison, a second healthy 2.5-year-old male cheetah without visual deficits was also examined. Clinical examination of both animals included biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, tonometry, and electroretinography. The young female cheetah showed no menace response, no direct or indirect pupillary light reflex, and no dazzle reflex in either eye. Fundus lesions, as detected by indirect ophthalmoscopy, are described for the female animal. In both eyes, the fundus color was green/turquoise/yellow with multiple hyperpigmented linear lesions in the tapetal area around the optic nerve. The optic nerve head was dark gray and about half the normal size suggesting bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia and retinal dysplasia or differentially optic nerve atrophy and chorioretinal scarring. The ERG had low amplitudes in the right eye but appeared normal in the left eye compared with the male cheetah. Blood levels did not suggest current taurine deficiency. This is addressed to some degree in the discussion. Bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia or optic nerve atrophy is a rare anomaly in cats and has not yet been described in a cheetah.

Prevalence and type of ocular disease in a population of aged captive nondomestic felids

“…Many previous studies on ocular diseases in nondomestic felids have been primarily case reports or were focused on one species and/or one disease process. There are several reports on congenital/hereditary ocular diseases, 39–46 lenticular diseases, 25,26,28–30,32 glaucoma, 37,38 and ocular/periocular neoplasias, 16,47 among others. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of the prevalence and type of ocular disease in a population of aged captive nondomestic felids.…”

“…Other congenital changes such as multiple ocular coloboma in snow leopards, 39–41 eyelid agenesis in a captive cougar, 42 anterior segment dysgenesis in two snow leopard cubs, 43 optic nerve hypoplasia/atrophy in a young cheetah, 44 and an optic nerve head coloboma in Bengal tiger kittens 45 have also been reported.…”