Top 5 dvm360 videos of 2024: #4

As 2024 draws to a close, dvm360 is counting down our Top 5 videos of 2024. The ranking is based on measurable interest and engagement from our digital viewers. These 5 videos feature thought leaders from throughout the veterinary care industry, who discuss a variety of topics.

The #4 video on the Top 5 countdown features Alex Sigmund, DVM, DACVO, founder of Insight Veterinary Care in Atlanta, Georgia. In an interview with dvm360, Sigmund discusses how topical steroids and dorzolamide can lead to certain health issues, including altered metabolism in the cornea, kidney problems, and dysregulation in patients with diabetes.

The following is a partial video report:

Alex Sigmund, DVM, DACVO: So topical steroids, when we're using them really, really frequently, can predispose [a patient] to infected ulcers. They can cause altered metabolism in the cornea that can result in fat deposits and even calcium deposits in the cornea that can lead to other issues. In [patients with diabetes], topical steroids have been shown to sometimes contribute to dysregulation. So, especially those that are getting cataract surgery, it's something that we think about when they're going to be potentially on topical steroids after surgery. And there's some research about steroids causing nasolacrimal punctal stenosis, where it narrows if you're using it all the time. So there's a few things that tropical steroids can cause, which is why I try to get patients off of tropical steroids, kind of as quickly as we can, as safely as we can, if there's an alternative.

The second one is dorzolamide, which is an antiglaucoma medication. And dorzolamide, more recently, has been shown to have some effects on the kidney, especially in cats, where it will start to actually decrease their potassium levels in their blood, which can cause some clinical signs. We've also seen that dorzolamide can cause an inflammatory response in some dogs, in their corneas and in their conjunctiva that doesn't respond to anything else except stopping the medication, and that can be a challenge for our glaucoma patients when we really only have a few medications that are even options.

View the video here.