A week or so ago I noticed a very small piece of cloudy film on the corner of my horses eye. I didn’t notice any heat, swelling, or tearing in the eye. It hasn’t changed so i’m calling my vet in the morning, but has anyone seen this before?
(There should be two photos in the URL. Thanks!)
I wonder if he banged or scratched his eye and this is an abrasion as a result?
If he does need eye protection of some description, take a look at the Recovery Visors that can be seen here:
They are exactly for this type of issue
Good luck!
When the eye is irritated by bugs or objects it will either tear or produce a mucous to cover the object so it will no longer irritate the eye. I just clean it up. Unless the mucous is green I personally do not call the vet.
I am not a vet but worked in a “people” eye clinic for many years.
In the one picture I just see a little discharge. I can’t tell what you are trying to show in the second picture, it just looks like a reflection to me.
If you are more comfortable speaking to a vet I would not discourage it. Don’t want to mess with eye problems.
I can’t see the pictures (blocked from work) but I would have my vet look at any eye problem. I’ve dealt with several over the years. Usually the vet will dye, look for signs of tear or scratch, and give us an ointment for 2x/day use for a few days and SMZs or similar for a week or 10 days. However, I had one mare who ended up having a cloudy spot. Vet didn’t seem concerned and said to monitor for a week or two, and give him a call if it didn’t resolve. It didn’t. I ended up taking her in for a specialty appointment with an equine opthamologist at a good state university. Turns out the mare had an inoperable tumor.
Your horse probably will be fine. I find eye injuries are common in the spring when the horses are rubbing to relieve shedding or fly-induced itching. Might be worth using a fly mask to minimize irritants to the eye in the meantime.
I see what you are showing, it is a blueish hazing of the cornea at 3 o’clock. and while I usually associate that with a bruising, my vet has me treat it preemptively. . I will be interested in hearing what your vet has to say.
yes I have seen something like that and it turned out to be a fungal infection
All eye issues are vet calls
Thanks to everyone who replied!
Vet came out this afternoon to look at it, said he could’ve punctured it slightly, and the eye tried to heal itself by putting a bunch of white cells on the spot, creating the cloudy spot (he explained it better and probably more accurately and it had a name, but i’m just summarizing what i remember exactly what he said) he said it could be a small ulcer as well, so he gave me an antibiotic ointment called Vetropolycin to put in his eye 3 times a day for ten days, to hopefully clear it up.
Hopefully in 10 days we’ll see what happens, right now i’m just trying not to worry too much!
OP, watch that eye carefully several times a day. It might be a good idea to take photos regularly, too.
A scratch, abrasion or other insult to the cornea is quite painful. When the immune system kicks in to help heal, it can produce substances that can affect healthy cells.
I had a horse with a simple scrape on the cornea, which became an ulcer. In a matter of four hours it became a melting ulcer—a true vet emergency, straight to the clinic to see the veterinary opthamologist.
One thing that helped immensely for treatment was a subpalpral lavage system. A tiny tube was placed thru the upper eyelid, stitched into place, and the tube was secured in the mane. No more trying to pry open eyelids (more pain!), and meds could be administered every 2-3 hours. Antibiotics, atropine (to dilate the pupil, relieving some pain), and some of her own serum spun down from her blood all helped the healing process. All with easy cooperation from the patient!
My horse had an excellent outcome, no visual deficit, and only a tiny speck (scar) if you knew where to look in the eye. I hope your is much less eventful!
You may also want to ask your vet about putting this horse on an antifungal eye drop along with antibiotics if you haven’t already. I have a pony that had a fungal infection that was initially treated as a bacterial infection. She ended up with a corneal graft surgery. As Keysfins said above, eye infections can worsen rapidly. Within hours.
My big guys eye was tearing quite a lot, with that greyish colour in a small area.
It was a small scratch on his cornea.
Put on anti-inflamatory/antibiotic drops… 3-4 times daily.
It took several days before it cleared up.
I left him on the drops for 2 weeks.
thanks again for the tips! I’m going to see how he goes on this antibiotic, Vet said it may take a while to clear up, said it might take a week to see any changes so i’m just going to take it one day at a time. He doesn’t seem in any pain, he’s eating fine, being a complete goof in the field as usual, and not acting off in any way. I am definitely keeping an eye on it closely to see if it worsens. He’s only been on the antibiotic for one day so I can’t expect any changes so soon!
Is the medication a liquid (drops), or an ointment? Because of the pain associated with the injury, horses tend to clamp the eyelids shut. How is your horse handling the treatments? Drops can be a tad bit easier to apply. I hate those tiny ointment tubes, and was always afraid one slight movement might cause another injury.
If your guy is on atropine, and even if not, you can take a fly mask and duct tape the outside of the mask to block light on the injured side. It is helpful if the pupil is dilated with atropine, giving the horse shade over the eye that cannot constrict, to help block light.
Hopefully the eye meds do not contain steroids? I had a small animal vet prescribe antibiotic with steroid for a smaller critter at home with a corneal abrasion. Unfortunately, things got much worse after the first dose. (Eventually required surgery to heal the ulcer.)
Keysfin, I know you prefer drops but I definitely prefer ointment. Ointment tends to stay in the eye better. At least in human children, ointment doesn’t usually sting. Drops usually sting. I find it easier to get ointment in and to see, from the greasy film, that it is in. I think either drops or ointment work well, as long as you can get it in. Unfortunately, some meds only come in drops.
For the human in the field without the benefit of an indwelling catheter, ointment is far more efficient. And since I never deliver the ointment from the tube directly to the eye, I’ve over the years had no problems. I apply the ointment to a gloved index finger, and with the thumb and middle finger separate the lids, depositing the ointment to the rolled back lid.
A treat immediately afterwards makes future treatments easy as they are focused on the treat.
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