Epidemiology and clinical presentation of feline presumed hereditary or breed-related ocular diseases in France: retrospective study of 129 cats.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and clinical presentation of presumed hereditary or presumed breed-related ocular diseases in a population of cats in France.
Methods: Medical records from between September 2013 and August 2017 were reviewed to identify cats with at least one presumed hereditary or breed-related ocular disease. Cats with concurrent, or a history of, ocular or systemic infectious diseases were excluded. Signalment, history and clinical findings were recorded.
Results: Of the 1161 cats that presented to our institution during the study period, 129 were diagnosed with at least one presumed hereditary or presumed breed-related ocular disease (11.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.3-12.9). Five ocular abnormalities had a prevalence of >1%: entropion, corneal sequestration, persistent pupillary membrane, cataract and retinal dysplasia. The prevalence of entropion was 2.2% (95% CI 1.3-3.0), with Persians ( P  = 0.03), Maine Coons ( P <0.01) and male cats ( P <0.01) being over-represented. The prevalence of corneal sequestration was 2.4% (95% CI 1.5-3.3), with Persians ( P <0.01) and Exotic Shorthairs ( P  = 0.02) being over-represented. Persistent pupillary membranes and cataracts had the same prevalence of 2.3% (95% CI 1.5-3.2), with no particular sex or breed significantly over-represented. Retinal dysplasia had a prevalence of 1.6% (95% CI 0.8-2.3) and Persian cats were over-represented ( P  = 0.04). Anterior segment dysgenesis had a low prevalence (0.9%, 95% CI 0.4-1.5), with all affected cats being domestic shorthairs and this breed therefore was over-represented ( P  = 0.04).
Conclusions and Relevance: In a French population of cats, presumed hereditary or breed-related ocular diseases accounted for 11.1% of all ocular diseases. Cataracts, corneal sequestration, persistent pupillary membrane, entropion and retinal dysplasia were the most common conditions. Statistical breed over-representation was observed for entropion, corneal sequestration and retinal dysplasia. We recommend that more systematic screening of feline species is conducted.