Cinar H, Yanmaz LE, Buyukkaraca N, Kaya Z, Kosuncu M. Comparing the effects of intraocular pressure and tear production measurements in horses in two different environments: Horse stable and medical barn.
Equine Vet J 2024. [PMID:
38268120 DOI:
10.1111/evj.14067]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
To date, there are no studies on the impact of two distinct environments-one familiar to the horse and another unfamiliar-on intraocular pressure (IOP) and tear production.
OBJECTIVES
To compare the measured IOP and tear production values in horses between a horse stable and a medical barn.
STUDY DESIGN
Cross-over.
METHODS
Thirty healthy male Arabian horses, aged 6.88 ± 3.34 years were used. IOP and tear production measurements were assessed in both the horse stable and the medical barn, with a paired Student's t-test and Bland-Altman analysis conducted for comparison and agreement, respectively.
RESULTS
A significant increase in IOP was observed in the medical barn (34.2 ± 6.8 mmHg) compared with the horse stable (29.5 ± 7.2 mmHg, p = 0.02). However, no statistically significant difference in tear production was found between horse stable (22.1 ± 2.8 mm/min) and medical barn (23.6 ± 3.4 mm/min) (p = 0.09). The standard error of the slope was 0.36 for the IOP measured in the medical barn, indicating a difference of -4.7 mmHg compared with the IOP measured in the horse stable (p = 0.02). The bias was fitted to y = -7.9350 + 0.1003x. The standard error of the slope was 0.39 for the tear production measured in the medical barn, indicating a difference of -1.5 mm/min compared with the tear production measured in the horse stable (p = 0.09). The bias was fitted to y = 6.1530 + -0.3367x.
MAIN LIMITATIONS
The absence of horses with ocular disorders and an assessment of the potential impact of transportation.
CONCLUSIONS
A notable increase in IOP was observed in the medical barn compared with the horse stable, while tear production exhibited no significant variance between the two environments. The Bland-Altman analysis highlighted a discrepancy in IOP measurements in the horse stable, emphasising the potential influence of the environment on ocular parameters in horses.
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