Will have the eye removed tomorrow from painful Glaucoma. Doing the standing surgery and tonight(last minute thoughts) I wondered if people who have done this use a prothesis after the removal. Some reports say it keeps the hole clean other the opposite. He is retired so its not for appearance sake but more what is your experience with this ?
Seems like a prothesis could get dirty and full of bacteria just as easy as the empty eye. I know they sew the lids together but apparently with time the skin falls back into the empty orbit and will need watching for dirt and he is boarded in retirement 40 miles away. Anyone experienced with this?
I don’t have direct experience but we have an appy mare at our farm who had an eye removed some years ago. The site healed and is now kind of a divot on her head with fur just like the rest of her face. It doesn’t seem prone to any kind of problem and is easy to keep clean.
I’ve known several without a prosthesis and all were fine. I’ve never seen one that actually had one. They all just have a divot as Asterix described. Once it is healed I don’t see why it would be an issue.
We did an enucleation on an older appy mare some years ago. Like you, I considered a prosthetic at almost the last minute.
My vet advised that it wasn’t necessary and could be problematic (any time you introduce a ‘foreign body’ there might be problems). In the end, I didn’t find any compelling reason in support of the prosthetic. The surgery site healed quickly and easily. My mare had glaucoma as a result of eru flare-up (not on my watch) and she got immediate relief from the surgery!!
Keeping the socket clean is simple. There is some swelling immediately after the surgery, so it looks a lot like the eyeball is still there. When the swelling goes down, the incision that closes the lids will be pretty much healed. By the time a bit of grime collects in the socket, you’ll be able to just wipe it clean with a damp cloth. No big deal.
Good luck, and don’t second-guess your decision. Either way, it will be better.
I have always been told that the prostheses was very painful for the horse
Thanks for the quick response and i’ll go w/o the prothesis.
I would not get the prosthesis. Just seems like another thing that could cause problems down the road. I rode a one-eyed horse for many years, and he did not have a prosthesis. He lived out on pasture 24/7 and really only got groomed once a week when I could come see him. (I did not own him.) Yes, the skin sinks in and once in a while it needs to be cleaned but not necessarily on a daily basis or anything.
I’ve known several horses missing one eye, no prosthesis. The horse certainly didn’t miss it. 
The people get used to it very quickly.
Good luck to you and your horse, best wishes for a good recovery!
A fellow rider who has lessons with my coach horse has just gone through this. She had the prothesis but hadnt been warned about any possible problems. Even with awesome care the mare has had problems with it and looks like the mare will now have to have it out.
I remember many years ago when a quarter horse was showing with a “glass eye.”"
If your horse is showing or if you want to have the upkeep on the eye, then get an artificial eye. Otherwise, the area will not be so noticeable once it heals over with just a sunken area where the eye was.
There have been so many advances in artificial eyes over the years that it might be worth it to get one for your horse. But he’ll be just fine with having the area closed after surgery and just having the sunken sport there.
[QUOTE=invinoveritas;8626538]
I remember many years ago when a quarter horse was showing with a “glass eye.”"
If your horse is showing or if you want to have the upkeep on the eye, then get an artificial eye. Otherwise, the area will not be so noticeable once it heals over with just a sunken area where the eye was.
There have been so many advances in artificial eyes over the years that it might be worth it to get one for your horse. But he’ll be just fine with having the area closed after surgery and just having the sunken sport there.[/QUOTE]
I think the OP is asking more about the round ball prosthetic implant that can go under the skin, so it looks like an eye ball is still there but with a closed eye. Not a fake eye.
I know of one person who went for the implant and is satisfied with it. Her horse looks like he’s sleeping on that side.
Another friend of mine had her mare’s eyes removed and went without implants. Mare is still lovely and is just relieved from all the pain.
We’ve done one with, one without. No issues either way, but the one without does get some crusty stuff in the hole on occasion. She likes it scratched, which grosses me out beyond belief!
