Enucleation - what do I need to know about transitioning to one eye?

[johnnysauntie]

My retired boy’s uveitis flared up nastily this weekend and we’re removing the eye tomorrow. He’s had the uveitis (triggered by trauma) for almost a year, and he’s had varying degrees of vision throughout, but for the last 6 months or so, his vision has been very compromised in the affected eye.

He’s retired and I’ve noticed some significant changes in his behavior, especially with his turnout group, which are a pretty mellow group of fellow aged gentlemen geldings. He’s now very reluctant to be around several other horses, hanging back from the crush at the gate at feeding time, for example.

I’ve also noticed that he doesn’t seem as spatially aware of his head on the side with the bad eye. (He clonks it against the door, buckets, etc.)

I’m wondering how quickly he’ll learn to adapt to being completely blind on one side. And if you’ve been through this and have any tips, I’d love to hear them.

He’s fully retired (kissing spines). I do a little groundwork & clicker training with him (he is a TB and loves to “work”) but his primary job is eating cookies and enjoying life.

[ThreeFigs]

A friend had enucleation done on her retired horse a few years ago. No one expected much of a transition as the eye (also uveitis) was probably useless. However, the old boy ran through his pasture fence only a day or two after coming home from the surgery. He’s a tank, so he did no harm to himself, but he sure tore out a lot of fence!

So maybe he could see a little bit out of the eye – maybe only dark or light, but enough that the removal of the eye caused , well, something.

I’d ask your vet how his transition after the surgery should be handled. Once this horse came to terms with being one-eyed, he was fine, though we always announced ourselves if we approached him on the blind side. Best to approach/handle from the sighted side, obviously.

[ThreeFigs]

A friend had enucleation done on her retired horse a few years ago. No one expected much of a transition as the eye (also uveitis) was probably useless. However, the old boy ran through his pasture fence only a day or two after coming home from the surgery. He’s a tank, so he did no harm to himself, but he sure tore out a lot of fence!

So maybe he could see a little bit out of the eye – maybe only dark or light, but enough that the removal of the eye caused , well, something.

I’d ask your vet how his transition after the surgery should be handled. Once this horse came to terms with being one-eyed, he was fine, though we always announced ourselves if we approached him on the blind side. Best to approach/handle from the sighted side, obviously.

[Beentheredonethat]

I’ve had one horse with an eye removed and another go completely blind.

If he’s not seeing through that eye already, it shouldn’t make a huge difference. The mare we did it to lost her eye suddenly. You are seeing the results of not seeing in that eye. He’s learning to know that he can’t see on that side and has to protect it.

Ideally, a good pasture buddy that he can stay with and keep his blind side too would be the best. My completely blind horse had two horses he would use as his seeing eye dogs and sort of follow them a little behind, touching constantly. He could be turned out and run to the inside of them. Maybe you can put him with the nicest of his buddies alone for awhile so they develop a stronger bond, and then when they go back out, he’ll have him to look for? My boy had mare buddies, so they may be more protective.

You might want to get something like a hood with a cup over it for that side until he becomes more careful of not knowing he can see on that side. He’s just going to have to learn.

[bathsheba8542]

I had a horse who had that surgery at 20 and he was so much happier once it happened … he was in tremendous pain and it was such a relief. He adapted really well - kept riding him for years and he was absolutely fine. Maybe a little more reactive on his blind side but it was no big deal.

[csaper58]

Try to keep as much continuity as possible, once he is cleared for turnout. same pasture, same friends, etc. They usually adjust very well. One note, there are a lot of nerves that will be insulted and real and ‘phantom’ pain may last for a while, depending on the individual. Watch him carefully the first few days, when all the nerve blocks wear off is usually the most painful period.

[qhwpmare]

A friend’s horse has started to lose the vision in his left eye. Vet advised her to begin to mount, lead , etc from the right side he would have an easier adjustment.

[Texarkana]

I had a horse enucleated when I was a teenager many years ago-- I can’t recall us doing much of anything special for him. He adapted super quickly and was MUCH happier with the painful and low-visibility eye removed!

[johnnysauntie]

Thanks all for your accounts and advice. Consistency won’t be a problem, and he does have a good pasture buddy. I know the vision is terribly diminished in the affected eye, so hopefully it won’t be a significant change for him.

[Bluey]

I would assume the other eye was evaluated to see how much sight there is in that one?

If a horse is having trouble after taking one eye out, maybe the other eye is not as good also and that is why he has problems?
Just more to consider.

[I_dratherbe]

My horse also lost an eye after trauma. Since it had been several months since he was injured and he could not see well (if at all) during that time, he adjusted quickly once the eye was out and he was finally out of pain.

You did not say if it was the left or right eye. My guy lost his left eye, and we taught him the commands, “to me” and “away” for when we were leading him from that side. It really helped him to know which way to follow/turn. Since he also had scar tissue towards the bottom of his right eye he had depth perception issues also, so the commands “up” and “down” became important when going over uneven ground. He got so dependent on it that when I once forgot to say it when leading him up a small hill he almost face planted. The look he gave me was priceless!!

[Promise_No_More]

OP - how did the transition go? I am late to this party but wanted to chime in and say I have a 7yo who was enucleated as a 3yo and lives in a 5-10 acre field with a bunch of rowdy colts and a hill and cross country jumps scattered around and he does just fine, in fact he prefers being out. We still trail ride, do dressage, and jump in and out of the arena. I still lead, mount, etc etc from the left. I agree that after years of chronic uveitis it’s often the kindest option - chronic pain is awful. Hope surgery went smoothly and you guys are doing great!

[spotmenow]

We just had a boarder’s horse have his eye out after two months of unsuccessful antibiotic treatment (including a clinic stay) - stromal abscess. Finally, the vets at the clinic became concerned that the eyeball might rupture and it really wasn’t responding very well to medical intervention. Ultrasound showed that the one eye had no vision and the other is perfectly normal; surgeon said that the “bad” eye hasn’t had vision for several weeks. You’d be amazed…one week after surgery he is back out with his buddies and trotting around. Also, he used to bump into things before the surgery (maybe seeing shadows?) but now is completely confident on that side. We lead from the “good” side and he likes knowing that he can always retreat to his shed if necessary, but otherwise he is much happier than before the surgery…no more pain. It is wonderful to see him trotting around out there…

[littlebaypony]

My guy with painful uveitis was given an injection that totally deadened the eye permanently. So he has a slightly sunken, gray eyeball. His biggest problem, and we do have to warn visitors to the barn, is the possibility of him accidentally head butting anybody standing on his blind side in his stall. At first he much preferred anybody leading him be on his blind (right) side almost like he wanted somebody protecting that side. Now he usually chooses to be lead from the left. Other than that and trying to stay away from pasture squabbles, he’s pretty normal.
Oh wait, one more thing; because he has no depth perception he has trouble taking treats from a hand. He has learned to get close and either wiggle his lip until he feels the treat or wait for me to touch his lip with it. If he’s excited that somebody else might get the treat he will sometimes reach out, closed mouth and bump my hand, but he’s careful to never bite.

[khall]

I had a mare who lost an eye, she was not retired at the time and continued under saddle for a bit. Never caused her much issues except for a couple, one she preferred me to be on her blind side while leading and two she would get caught unaware in the pasture with a horse going after her on the blind side occasionally. I felt so bad when that would happen and was very careful who she went out with.