Ouch My Eye!

Eye injuries in horses can be very serious and should be treated as an emergency.  Noting if your horse has an eye injury often is found when the horse is holding the eye shut from pain, scratches around they eye, colored or cloudy discharge, or seeing trauma to the eye.  If your horse sustains an eye injury it is important to have it checked immediately.  Until the veterinarian can arrive it is best to confine the horse indoors out of bright sunlight which may be irritating.    One of the most frequent eye problems that we see are corneal ulcers.  The cornea is a clear surface portion eyeball.  It can be scratched and lead to serious problems.  One can not see if the cornea is scratched without performing any tests.  A veterinarian will perform a ophthalmic examination.  Part of that examination it to put a stain on the horses eye called fluoroscein stain which is green.  This stain will stick to any parts of the cornea that have been scratched or damaged.  Often this stain can be seen draining from the horses nostril.  This is normal, because the horse has a duct that runs from its eye to its nostril called the nasolacrimal duct.     Staining the eye with the dye also determines the size of any ulcer present.  Then at the recheck appointment the eye will be stained again to determine if the ulcer is healing properly.  Most often corneal ulcers are treated with an antibiotic ointment applied directly the eye frequently during the day.  Treatment also often consists of an oral medication to act as an anti-inflammatory and pain medication.  Below are some photos of corneal ulcers as they are stained and heal.