Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
In the horse business, the term "wall eye" is often used interchangeably with the terms "glass eye" and "china eye." These phrases are used to describe a specific coloring of the eye and are merely a point of reference for the unusual appearance of a horse's eye when it lacks pigment.
Eye infections in horses can be serious problems. Prompt treatment is essential, or the horse may lose sight in the infected eye. A horse needs its eyesight in both eyes to judge distances and jumps, and a one-eyed horse is at a significant disadvantage. Horses have eyes on the sides of their heads, which gives them a wide angle of vision. It also makes their eyes particularly prone to damage from being knocked into objects or from bites from other horses.
Flies, allergies, dirt and other debris can cause a horse's eyes to become irritated and to have excessive drainage. Irrigating the eye will make your horse more comfortable. It can also allow you to get a clearer look at the eye to determine if there's a more serious condition causing your horse's eye to weep.
A horse's tear ducts connect from both the upper and lower eyelid to a gland located in the corner of the lower eyelid. Long, narrow tubing runs from that gland--called a lacrimal gland--down the inside of the horse's nose and empties tears into the nasal cavity, writes Dr. Duane Fitzgerald of Michigan's Thornwood Equine Veterinary Care. Known as nasolacrimal ducts by veterinarians, these tear ducts can become occluded (blocked) and cause symptoms that need veterinary treatment to be relieved.
Horses have very large and sensitive eyes that can easily become inflamed due to a dust, an ailment such as the flu, or flying debris. Eye infections are common in horses and can be caused by conjunctivitis and other issues. Horses have two top eyelids that can both be affected by different types of tumors, while the cornea is highly susceptible to cataracts and other diseases.
Moon eye is actually a name given to the disease equine recurrent uveitis in horses. The reasons for the name are multiple. During advanced stages of the illness, the eye becomes opaque and covered with a white film, giving the appearance of a "moon" color and shape. In addition, the pain caused by sunlight to the eye will often have the horse seeking cover unless it is dark. The illness itself has nothing to do with the moon. Moon eye is not completely understood, but according to the Merck Veterinary manual, most veterinarians believe it is an attack from the…
Conjunctivitis, or pink-eye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the membrane covering the back of the eyelids and the surface of the eyeball up to the cornea. It is a highly contagious viral disease, which ranks among the top most common eye problems in horses. It is spread from horse to horse by direct contact, either via the respiratory route by sneezing and coughing, or by carrier stallions by the venereal route.
Caseous lymphadenitis is primarily an infection of sheep and goats. However, the bacteria that causes the infection can be spread to horses, cattle, camelids, wild ruminants, primates, pigs and birds. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis causes abcesses to occur in many different areas on horses. Also known as pigeon fever, pigeon breast, dryland distemper, dryland strangles, false strangles, caseous lymphadenitis and breastbone fever, C. pseudotuberculosis appears mostly in the western areas of the United States during the late fall.
Horses' eyes are very susceptible to injury. Almost all injuries to horses' eyes are considered emergencies. Horse owners need to pay close attention at all times to the horses' vision, as well as checking to make sure there are no infections in the eye. A minor eye problem in a horse can quickly turn into a dangerous situation where the horse could lose its eyesight.
Equine eye abscesses affect the corneal stroma -- the supporting framework of the eye. Corneal ulcers follow injuries to the cornea that progress rather than heal. Ulcers that do not heal promptly often become infected or abscessed.
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.
Most horse owners will eventually need to deal with an animal's health problems. It is important to know what steps to take when your horse exhibits signs of illness. Weepy eyes are one of the most common equine health problems, but horse owners who take the time to educate themselves can deal with this issue effectively.
If your veterinarian has recommended or prescribed eye drops for your horse, you might be worried about your horse acting up and flinging his head around while you are trying to give the medication. If approaching the application in the correct manner, however, your horse can be accommodating to the eye drops and might not give you any trouble.
Detecting eye problems in a horse is not as simple as it sounds. As prey animals, horses are quite good at hiding any discomfort they may feel, since predators in the wild are always on the lookout for weaker individuals. That means that it is up to the horse owner to remain vigilant and to always be on the lookout for the early warning signs of eye problems.
Pinkeye is an older term for what is now referred to as conjunctivitis. Pinkeye and conjunctivitis both refer to an eye infection that affects the inside of the eyelid and the eye surface. Pinkeye can occur in one or both eyes. It is considered by the "Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook" to be the most common equine eye ailment.
Like human cancers, animal cancers can often be difficult to diagnose and even harder to treat. Equine cancers can be particularly hard to diagnose due to the horse's innate stoicism and reluctance to show pain. Often symptoms will not display themselves until the disease is far advanced. Eye cancers, in particular, often mimic the symptoms of other diseases such as glaucoma or uveitis, and defy diagnoses.
Cancer of the horse's eye can be mild or so severe the eye becomes completely compromised. A veterinarian should be employed to help diagnose the type and severity of the cancer. Cancer of the eye can also cause other problems that will affect the eye and can be quite painful. Occasionally after the cancer has been removed it will return so the area should be observed regularly for abnormal growths. In severe cases the horse may lose the eye completely.
It is a common site, especially in summer, to drive by a horse farm and see horses wearing what look like blindfolds. However, this is a common misconception. Horses are almost never blindfolded, except in emergency situations, such as fires, when they need to be led somewhere quickly and the handler does not want the horse distracted by scary things around him. What the horses are wearing are actually fly masks.
Horse eye health is very important. A horse that does not have full vision capacity can be a danger to himself and humans and horses around him. A horse can have a disease of the eye as well as a disease of the eyelid.
Horses have one of the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, and are therefore more prone to injuries and illnesses of the eye than other animals. If you discover horse eye problems, there are several ways in which you can treat them.
