365 Days in Horse Country – The Eyes Have It
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and that
is certainly true when it comes to horses.
You can tell a lot about a horse’s mood just by looking at her eyes.
Unfortunately, eye disease is all too common in horses, threatening the horses’ overall wellbeing in a variety of ways.
One of the most common eye problems in horses is corneal ulcers. Often the result of trauma to the eye, corneal ulcers start as a pin-prick-sized hole in the cornea and can develop into serious wounds if left untreated. In extreme cases, horses can lose their eye to corneal ulcers.
Another eye ailment often seen in horses is equine recurrent uveitis. Most common in Appaloosas, this disease is somewhat mysterious in origins. Also called moonblindnessm it results in periodic inflammation of the eye. Over time, this recurrent inflammation damages the interior of the eye, and results in blindness.
Cataracts can also affect horses, and they are most often seen in aged equines. These cloudy films over the lens affect horse’s vision.
Eye problems can go from mild to serious in a short period of time. For most equine veterinarians, a swollen, painful eye is considered an emergency. If your horse is holding his eye closed, has swelling around the eye and considerable discharge, or the eye has a cloudy appearance, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Michael