Eye injuries are fairly common in horses and can have serious consequences if they are left untreated. Horses should have their eyes checked every day to note any possible injury or infection.
Checking your horse’s eyes
Your horse’s eye should be clear, bright and open wide. A tiny amount of tears is normal, usually the result of a dusty environment. There shouldn’t be very much discharge and if there is any it should be clear and not have any color at all. If there is a lot of discharge or if it white, yellow or green then it may be time for a visit from your vet.
There shouldn’t be any swelling on or around the eyes and the horses eyelids should not droop at all. If there is a lot of swelling or there is a cut or abrasion on the eye you should call the vet immediately. Horses that are reluctant to open their eyes also typically suffer from an injury directly to the eye and will probably need to see the vet.
What to do about an Eye Injury
If there is a lot of swelling or the horse is in obvious pain the first thing you should do is give the horse some Bute if you have it. This will help the horse with the pain and help the swelling go down. If there is an abnormal amount of discharge the eye will need to be flushed out to get rid of any debris that may be in the eye. To rinse a horse’s eye use a clean, damp sponge wetted with water and gently wipe around the eye, allowing the water to flow into the eye from the sponge. Be patient with your horse who may be resistant to having his eye rinsed.
After the eye has been cleaned out it is best to keep it covered so that flies cannot irritate is further. A fly mask that covers the horse’s eyes will work for that. Horse’s with eye injuries should also be kept indoors and out of the sun and dust. They should also be kept away from things they could rub their eye on.
Veterinary Eye Care
Once the vet arrives they may decide to sedate the horse so that they can get a better look at the horse’s eye without too much resistance. If the area surrounding the eye has any deep cuts they may require stitches. The vet will examine the horse’s eye closely and will probably flush the eye again, something much easier to do with a horse that is sedated. If the horse has an infection or a scrape on their eye the vet is likely to prescribe eye ointment or drops to be put in the horse’s eye.
