Congenital anterior staphyloma associated with Peters’ anomaly and aphakia in a Holstein calf

A Holstein calf was born with a large protruding right eye and a central corneal opacity. Enucleation was the first choice of treatment. The calf had a good prognosis and was raised for milking purposes. Macroscopically, the enucleated eye was characterized by the protruded cornea, adherence of the iris to the central posterior cornea and aphakia. Microscopically, central corneal thickening and a defect in the endothelium and Descemet’s membrane were observed. These data suggest that this represents a case of unilateral anterior segment dysgenesis consistent with congenital corneal staphyloma with Peters’ anomaly and aphakia. Neither a mutation of the WFDC1 gene in multiple ocular defects nor any other identifiable cause for ocular anomalies was detected.