The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of 0.02% tacrolimus ophthalmic drops application for chronic superficial keratitis (CSK) treatment in dogs. The studies included 14 German Shepherd dogs - eight males and six females, aged 2-10 years affected with CSK. The drops were administered to the ocular surface three times a day. Prior to the treatment onset, and after the 5 week medical therapy, an estimation of a conjunctiva redness, ocular discharge, depigmentation of the third eyelid, and blood vessel ingrowth in each corneal quadrant and corneal pigmentation was conducted. The photo images with calibrated grid enabled to calculate the percentage of corneal area surface affected by inflammatory process. Tacrolimus did not exert any irritant effects throughout the treatment. The therapy has led to the decrease in corneal inflammatory infiltrate and blood vessel ingrowth in all the patients. Median corneal area surface affected by the condition showed a statistically significant decrease from 46% to 27% (P<0.01) in case of the left corneas and from 58% to 33% for the right ones. Out of 27 corneas affected by pigmentation, 13 corneas in eight patients exhibited decreased pigmentation. The increased pigmentation was observed on eight corneas in five patients. The studies proved that 0.02% ophthalmic drops of tacrolimus have been effective topically in CSK therapy. A treatment response was observed by reduced granulation tissue and corneal neovascularisation, still in some cases tacrolimus failed to inhibit the pigmentation formation.
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