About a week or so ago I noticed that my mares left eye was a bit swollen and squinty. Teary, but no pus, and she didn’t seem bothered by it. I did a cold compress, and it seemed to get better over our ride. Since then it has become swollen again, then cleared up, swollen again, cleared up etc etc. It’s never completely shut. The inside of her eyelids are a bit pinker than usual, but there is no pus that would indicate infection. Her other eye is completely normal. Any ideas of what this could be? 
A vet call.
Call the vet. My horse’s eye swells when he has a uveitis flare up and that is a condition that requires meds (as are many eye problems). I will wait and see with a lot of things, but never eyes.
I know everyone will jump on here in a minute and say you need to get the vet out, and you should…I never mess around with eyes. That being said…my horse went through a few bouts of teary eyed, eyelid swelling…it turned out that he needed his tear-ducts flushed. They were stopped up from his allergies. This happened twice…he was never painful, the drainage was clear…I now keep him in a fly mask 24h during fly season, which sadly, here in Phoenix, has started already. Not that I am complaining that much, however, at least we don’t have to deal with snow and ice! But yes…you need the vet to rule out something more serious first, and/or to do the flush if that is what it is. good luck!
CALL THE VET. NOW. You NEVER mess around with eyes!!
Had I done what you are doing my mare would have lost her right eye. But I did the right thing and immediately called the vet when her eye was swollen. Ended up at the hospital for four days and thankfully the team of vets saved her eye. Melting corneal ulcer from hell.
Call the vet. Period.
Edited to add that you should NOT put anything in the eye without the vets approval. It needs to be checked for ulcers.
This time of year horses easily get hair in their eyes from rubbing against each other (if they are pastured together) because everyone is shedding.
So, I have watched a slightly irritated eye for a day, but if it isn’t 99% normal after that I would call a vet. In your case, it may be a new irritation, or a corneal abrasion (or something else)…so I would definitely want the vet to take a good look at this point.
I’d call the vet. I’ve dealt with numerous ulcers and if left untreated they can cause blindness, not to mention discomfort and pain. Especially since it’s chronic, you need to find out what’s going on.
Eye problems are a call the vet yesterday emergency!!!
Never,never, never screw around with eyes. Call the vet yesterday. Usually mine tells me to give banamine ASAP and he’s out the same day or next day if it’s late in the day.
I’ve found putting a fly mask on helps to prevent any further damage from rubbing.
Always, always call a vet immediately for an eye problem.
Agree: call the vet :yes:
It is worth the price of a farm call to avoid the wouldscouldashoulda if you let something go.
I’m on the call the vet wagon. Never ever mess with eyes. Eye stuff is painful. Get it sorted out. It’s better to have the vet out earlier then later and find out that it is nothing. Heck I should have followed my own advice when I poked myself in the eye, I didn’t go to the DR and now I occasionally feel like there is something stuck in that spot if I rub my eye. It’s terrible and yes I finally did go to the eye dr and they say there is nothing there.
Last summer the BM was out of town and I was looking after the barn with a couple other people. One of the horses had a really swollen and painful eye in the morning. Called the BM and they said just leave him inside for the day and keep an eye on him its probably shaving or hay dust. By night his eye was open, by next morning most of the swelling was gone.
Now that I’ve told you that, since it has happened several times and is always in the same eye I’d also say call your vet if you haven’t already. And keep us updated. I’d be interested to know what the vet says.
As with advice from others, call vet immediately - I’ve never had a vet tell me they wouldn’t be out on an emergency basis for an eye issue.
