Eye infections & blindness

Conditions involving your horse’s eyes are potentially serious and should be treated by a vet, warns Kim Dyson.
Issue date : 10 September 2010

Eye infections & blindness
- Advertisement -

When it comes to horses, most eye infections are usually caused by dust or other foreign material entering the eye and damaging the cornea. A secondary infection in the eye can either be bacterial or fungal.

When infection causes blindness
The most common cause of eye irritations, and the consequent infections, happens when a teff net is placed too high above eye level, and seeds fall into the eye. The constant scratching of these seeds can cause blindness. To get the teff-net height right, make sure the bottom is 0,5m off the ground when the net is empty, to prevent the horse getting tangled up. The tie-up point needs to be at eye level.

It’s best to loop the long string of the net through your hook on the wall and then through the base of the net.Turned-in eyelids cause the eyelashes to irritate the eye. This will eventually cause chronic infection and blindness. Blindness can also be a result of the viral herpes infection and the occasional stomach worm. More rarely, cancerous cells may invade the skin around the eye. If your horse shows signs of pain, excessive tear flow, light sensitivity, eyelid swelling and more serious signs of ulceration, contact your vet.

- Advertisement -

Infections and abscesses
Chronic infection of the cornea causes a blue-white colouration of the eye. A fluorescein test will show if the cornea’s surface has ulcerated. Always investigate any growths around the eye.If there’s a foreign object in the eye, float it out with clean castor to remove it. Make a herbal wash from Calendula, Golden Seal and rescue remedy and apply to the outside of the eye to help soothe very minor eye infections.

Dilute at 1:10 and apply three times a day until you see an improvement.Your vet may recommend using an antibacterial eye ointment. Ointments containing cortisone shouldn’t be used if there’s a cornea ulceration. When a severe eye infection is left to abscess, the eye is usually lost. Eye blinkers that have been repaired with wire are the most common cause of this kind of severe damage. Non-responsive or deep-seated infections that have led to abscesses may require surgical removal of the eye.

Prevention is best
Homeopathic treatment can work well with conventional treatment: Arnica 30c should be given as soon as possible after an injury. Give 10 drops in the bottom lip every hour, six times, then 10 drops three times a day.Hypericum 1M treats intense pain after injury to nerves and soft structures. Give 10 drops in the bottom lip three times a day for four days.Ledum palustre 200c treats hot, puffy, tender tissue around the eye.

Give 10 drops in the bottom lip four times a day for three days.Apply Euphrasia eye lotion directly to the eye for profuse weeping. Dilute Euphrasia mother tincture 1:20 in boiled, cooled water to treat non-damaged cornea eye infections. Give three times a day for three to five days.Contact Kim Dyson on 082 888 6511.     |fw