Equine Eye Problems

Conditions

• Moon blindness is a conditions of the eye that causes excessive pain for the horse and is a chronic condition. It received its name during the 1600s, when the disorder was thought to be brought on by phases of the moon. More recently, moon blindness is believed to be caused by both viral and bacterial infections. This can be increased by a lack of riboflavin in the diet. Once the infection has increased, the inflammation will cause an attack of moon blindness.

  Cancer of the eye can lead to various courses of treatment. By definition, peri-ocular squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor that affects the third eye, eye lid or cornea. It is similar to skin cancer, due to the location of the tumor. Most are often a melanoma. Light -skinned horses are most susceptible to cancer of the eye.

  Cataracts can be found in foals and adult horses. This condition is hereditary in Thoroughbreds, Morgan, Quarter Horse, and Rocky Mountain breeds. It is usually detected when the foal is bumping into items or follows the mare closely. In older horses, cataracts can develop as a secondary condition to an injury or infection of the eye.

  Eye injuries and abrasions are the leading cause for blindness in horses. An abrasion of the cornea is a painful injury to the eye that can lead to abscesses. The injury can be caused from a multitude of factors, including environmental and social.

  A clogged tear duct can be a painful disorder, but manageable. It is caused by several factors, including deformations of the nasal cavity, causing debris to become backed up the sinuses. A facial X-ray can determine the exact cause of the blocked duct.

Treatments

• Moon blindness can be treated with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs as well as steroids. These are injected into the area of the eye or given orally. Antibiotics are an effective treatment in some cases, where the root cause of the moon blindness is leptospirosis, an infection.

  Cancer of the eye has been treated with radiation and chemotherapy to the eye region. Herbal treatments have shown effective, when used in conjunctions with medicinal therapy. The most common therapy to relieve and treat cancer of the eye in horses is an intralesional immunotherapy combined with intralesional cisplatin. Cisplatin can cause severe side effects when given intravenously or by oral means.

  Cataracts are often difficult to treat. For those on foals, surgery to remove the cataract is effective. For older horses, there must be no inflammation in the area before surgery can be performed effectively. Even then, the lens of the eye has become hardened with age, and makes removal difficult. Following surgery, if successful, a medication plan must be followed. The horse will require little light and exercise.

  Eye injuries can be treated effectively with silver sulfadiazine, and medications used effectively in burns. This medications serves as an antibiotic as well as an anti-fungal medication. This makes it more effective for abrasion of the cornea and eye area.

  Clogged tear ducts can be managed. After the cause of the blockage become known, the steps to maintain and control the symptoms will become clear. A blocked duct caused by dental issues will need the root problems to be treated before the duct can be effectively treated. Irrigation of the duct is most effective. This is performed by a veterinarian, who will use saline to clear and clean the tear duct.