This or That: Deciding Which Ophthalmic Medications To Use With Common Ophthalmic Diseases

This discussion reviews some of the basic principles of common ophthalmic diseases (canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca, feline conjunctivitis and ulcerative keratitis, uveitis, and glaucoma) and basic ocular pharmacology that are crucial for veterinarians to effectively manage ocular disorders in their patients.

1. Route of administration
2. Target tissue
3. Dosage frequency
4. Owner compliance/animal tolerance
5. Systemic side effects of therapies
6. Interspecies differences

13:45 Functions and barriers that protect the eye

18:00 The cornea’s role in drug absorption

19:15 The blood ocular barrier’s role in drug absorption

30:30 How to decide the most appropriate therapies to use for ophthalmic diseases

30:50 Case 1: KCS

38:15 Case 2: Feline conjunctivitis and ulcerative keratitis

41:43 Case 3: Anterior uveitis

53:54 What should I stock in my hospital for ophthalmic conditions?

54:47 Can you stock and dispense 503B medications?

Dr. Bergstrom received his bachelor’s degree in 2009 followed by his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 2013 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then completed a one-year Small Animal rotating internship at the University of Georgia in Athens. Immediately following his rotating internship, he traveled back to the Midwest where he completed a three-year residency in Comparative Ophthalmology at Purdue University in 2017.

As a board-certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist, Dr. Bergstrom began practicing in Nashville in 2017. He also began working with a veterinary telehealth company and quickly grew a passion for telecollaboration because of its ability to provide the highest quality veterinary care with a broader reach. While working as an associate ophthalmologist in Nashville, his entrepreneurial dreams of owning his own hospital began. Those dreams became a reality in the fall of 2023, when Dr. Bergstrom launched The Eye Vets in Bellevue.

Through a combination of in-person consultations and telecollaboration, Dr. Bergstrom aims to provide compassionate, innovative veterinary eye care to the greater Nashville area and beyond.