Equine Eye Damage

Horse's eyes are large, prominent and located on the sides of their heads, which make them more susceptible to eye injuries than other domestic animals. Although eye injuries and infections are common, if untreated they can become very serious very quickly.

  1. Abrasions

    • Injuries to a horse's eye can cause blindness.

      Injuries involving the epithelium--outer layer of the eye--are called abrasions. Wind can blow sand, dirt or stone fragments into their eyes when they are running or racing. Likewise, their eye can be scratched while eating hay, thistles or tree branches.

    Corneal Ulcers

    • Deeper injuries involving the stroma-layer beneath the epithelial-are called ulcers. Ninety percent of the thickness of the cornea is made up of the stroma. Normall, there is a wide variety of bacteria present on the eye. Some produce collagenases--an enzyme that destroys the substance of the stroma. This leads to large, rapidly deteriorating ulcers.

    Normal Eyes

    • Normal eyes are clear and bright.

      Your horse's eyes should be bright and clear, not cloudy. The lids should be tight, pale pink and moist. The horse should not squint or blink repeatedly. Tearing should be minimal with no discharge. To examine the eye closer, take the horse into a dark area and use a flashlight. The pupil should constrict when you shine the light into it.

    First Aid

    • If your horse has an eye injury or infection, clean the eye gently with a saline solution(1/4 tsp of table salt to one cup of lukewarm water). If possible, keep your horse in subdued light such as his stall and put a fly mask on the horse to keep flies off the eye area. If an object such as a splinter is piercing the eyelid or has become stuck, you can remove it carefully, but call your veterinarian to examine the eye. If the eyeball itself has an object embedded in it, do not attempt to remove it--call your veterinarian immediately.

    Prevention

    • Put a fly mask on the horse only during the day to keep flies off the eye area. Keep the horse's stall as dust free as possible. Cover all sharp edges inside his stall and pasture areas such as water troughs, feeders and metal buildings. Remove old nails from fences, stalls and gates.