Livestock Management RANCHING


Keeping Eyes Healthy By David Bechtol, D.V.M.


M


ANY THINGS CAN CAUSE EYE PROBLEMS IN CATTLE. THE fi rst step to proper prevention and treatment is a correct diagnosis.


It is common for cattle on pastures that are brushy


or weedy to have an outbreak of what appears to be the classic infectious pinkeye. Closer examination may reveal simple trauma due to the weeds. This is also common on dry wheat or grass pasture. For irritated eyes, the fi rst thing to do is examine


the animal’s eyes closely for scratches, wheat heads or grass awns. In mild cases of corneal trauma, simple cleaning of the eye is usually suffi cient. If the animal is squinting and acting pained, then an eye patch or lid


46 The Cattleman July 2014


suturing, along with either topical or injected medica- tion, may be indicated.


Cancer of the eye Cancer is one of the most common and major prob-


lems affecting the eye and vision. It is affected by breed, pigmentation around the eye, genetics, age, virus, ul- traviolet solar radiation and environment. Generally, there are precursor lesions that develop


on the eyeball, eyelid or the third eyelid (nictitating membrane), but many of these lesions do not develop into cancer. The ones that do develop to the cancer stage tend


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