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A milky appearance can indicate that a cataract is forming as a result of on-going inflammation. A cloudy look to the entire globe. Fungal infections and inflammatory disease can cause a horse’s eye to take on a hazy, bluish appearance.
During the early stages of inflammation, the eye may develop a blue hue around the corneal ulcer, which is a sign of corneal edema (fluid accumulation). The majority of corneal ulcers are superficial and normally heal in 3 to 7 days.
After examining the horse’s eye, the veterinarian will probably give you an antibiotic ointment to apply to the infected area twice daily for 7 to 10 days. The vet may also advise you to continue using the saline solution once or twice daily to keep the eye clean throughout the treatment.
Symptoms of Cataracts in Horses Cloudiness or white opacity of the pupil. Walking into things. Shying back for no reason. Jumpiness.
Small cataracts or cataracts which are on the periphery of the lens often do not affect vision of the horse, so monitoring the eye over the horses life may be all that is required. Horses cope well without vision in one eye – especially if the vision worsens gradually and they can adapt.
Walk your horse over dark ground that abruptly changes to a light color, such as where black pavement meets light concrete. Visually impaired horses may be wary of stepping on terrain with sudden color changes. Click here to learn how to recognize the subtle signs of eye trouble.
Atropine or other drugs designed to dilate the pupil, promote drainage of ocular fluid and reduce ocular pain are also commonly used. Additional systemic drugs used to lower intraocular pressure (e.g., mannitol) may be indicated in suspected glaucoma cases.
Blue eyes are found in most horse breeds and many colors. However, blues eyes are most often seen in light-colored Quarterhorses and Paints. The reason is likely because blue eyes result from a double-dilute coat color caused by a creme gene.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the inner lining (pink tissue) of the upper and lower eyelids. This results in a “red eye”. The other clinical signs of conjunctivitis in the horse include swelling, and discharge (tearing, mucoid, mucopurulent).
It’s difficult to pinpoint what exactly is causing conjunctivitis. But one of the most common culprits is flies, and the bacteria they carry with them when they land on your horse’s face and eyes. To prevent an eye infection, fit your horse with a fly mask.
If you need to flush your horse’s eye you can use a sterile eye wash or sterile saline contact-lens-rinse solution. Artificial tears work, but the bottles are small and may not have enough liquid to adequately flush the eye. “Sterile saline rinse solution in an aerosol-spray container is especially effective.
Cumulative damage caused by ERU can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, and eventually blindness. Although not all horses that experience a single episode of uveitis will develop ERU, they are at risk for disease.
Equine Recurrent uveitis is a leading cause of vision loss in horses and often results in blindness. This is a frustrating disease to treat as recurrence can be frequent, long term medication is often required, and a cure is rarely achieved.
Symptoms of moon blindness include inflammation and redness of the eye area, murkiness or white discoloration of the eye, tearing, squinting, and profuse but clear tearing. The horse will be reluctant to be in bright sunlight. Although it may not be evident, the horse will be feeling pain from the symptoms.
Make sure the area where the blind horse lives is as safe and hazard-free as possible. Check fences and run-in sheds for sturdiness and good condition. Be sure there are no loose wires or splinters of wood to trap or injure the horse. Keep the ground clear of hazards that the horse might trip over or run into.
Horses naturally have only two iris colors: blue or brown. Some horses will have both blue and brown coloration in their irises, a situation called “heterochromia iridis.” Horses with blue eyes are no more likely to develop any eye disease than are those with brown ones.
The cornea should be clear, the eyelids should conform nicely to the globe, and the area beneath the eye should be dry. You should be able to readily see the entire iris and pupil and the iris should typically be the same color throughout although some horses such as Paints can have a multicolor iris that is normal.
Will the horse go blind before he’s 10 years old? There’s an easy answer to all these worrisome questions. Blue eyes in horses are just as good as the far more common brown eyes! Blue eyes are no weaker, develop disease no more frequently, and are no more likely to stop functioning than brown eyes.
Over the counter diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or comparable antihistamines can be used in an emergency for horses with severe hypersensitivity or allergy. Prolonged use is not advised. There is no literature to support the use of diphenhydramine in horses. You are using this product at your own risk.
A Long Life Cycle Yet this adult stage is just a brief part of the bot fly life cycle. Female bot flies have no mouth parts, so they cannot feed. They live on stored reserves only long enough to lay eggs on the hair around a horse’s eyes, mouth, nose, or on the legs.
Yes. You can put Visine drops in your horse’s eyes if they are irritated. If your horse’s red, itchy eyes persist we suggest contacting your primary veterinarian to rule out equine food allergy, infection, fungal infection, abscess, et cetera.
Eye wash saline is provided in a variety of dropper and squirt bottles. In an emergency, saline of approximately the right strength can be made using 1 cup of distilled water mixed with 1 teaspoon of table salt. This can be drawn up in a syringe and squirted in the eye.
The majority of cataracts in horses occur in adult animals. They most commonly develop secondary to diseases that cause intraocular inflammation, such as Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU, moon blindness). The second most common cause of equine cataract is trauma – both blunt and sharp trauma.
If it’s just uveitis by itself, that’s more concerning, because that’s a case that could develop into recurrent uveitis.” Because equine recurrent uveitis is progressive and does not currently have a cure, most horses that have it eventually will go blind in the affected eye.
Holding the ointment tube with the opposite hand and directing the tip of the tube towards the inner corner of the eye (instead of towards the center of the eyeball), gently apply 1/4” strip of the medication on the inner corner of the eye, closer to the lower eyelid.