Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2011 | Page 110

EQUESTRIAN

A horse showing a typical appearance of an eye
problem, with a lowered upper eyelid and tear
streaming down the face

Corneal ulceration

equine veterinary diary
painful eye that may not regain vision
and may even need to be removed.
Treatment for simple ulcers involves
antibiotic drops to prevent a secondary
bacterial infection. Sometimes,
treatment to stop damage to the
cornea may also be required. Such
a treatment can be simply separated
from the horses own blood providing
an effective, cheap treatment option!
In some cases, uveitis will develop in
response to the corneal ulceration.
This will also require emergency
treatment (See later).

trauma, infection and auto-immune
disease. The main treatment is steroid
drops to control the inflammation,
but these can only be used if the
cornea is not damaged. Different
drops are also used to dilate the pupil
and prevent permanent adhesions
forming which could prevent the
pupil from ever opening properly in
the future. Your horse may also be
given an anti-inflammatory drug in
their feed to help reduce the pain and
inflammation within the eye.
Equine Recurrent Uveitis

Uveitis
Uveitis is an inflammatory condition
within the eye ball which can lead to
permanent damage if left untreated.
This condition will induce similar
symptoms to those described for
corneal ulceration and so it is
important to have a veterinary surgeon
check the eye so the appropriate
treatment can be given. Causes include
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Commonly uveitis can recur and is
then called ERU “Equine recurrent
uveitis” also known as “moon
blindness”. This is one of the most
common causes of blindness in the
horse. Repeat flare ups can occur
without apparent cause, but can
become progressively worse. Treatment
is required to preserve vision and
reduce inflammation within the eye.

Horses may require lifelong therapy
and if that becomes unsuccessful
they may even require the eye to be
removed – see enucleation
Trauma to the eyelids
Lacerations or blunt trauma to the
eyelids are not only painful and
problematic in themselves but can also
cause problems to the surface of the
eye. If the edges of the eyelids are not
realigned correctly they can rub the
surface of the eye causing ulceration.
If the lids cannot close properly they
may not be able to perform their job
of giving protection to the eye thereby
allowing other objects to damage the
eye. Surgery to repair the lids must be
performed immediately and carefully
to prevent on-going problems.
Damage to the back of the eye may
not be immediately obvious after
trauma because of swelling of the
eyelids making direct observation
impossible. In these cases ultrasound