“If a horse is squinting or holding an eye closed, that’s a
sign the eye hurts and you need to call the vet,” Dr. Moding says. “Tears, cloudiness and inflammation are signs, too. Also make sure the pupils are relatively the same size—as long as they’re standing so they’re not in the shadows, you can look at the eye in natural light.“ Even the angle of the horse’s eyelashes can indicate an
eye problem. “If you look from the front you can see if the eyelashes on both eyes are at the same angle,” Dr. Gard- ner says. “They might sit at a downward angle if the eye is inflamed. It’s just the most subtle stage of squinting.” It is important to notice patterns in your horse’s health,
Dr. McMullen say. “If you have a three-year-old horse and he goes out to pasture and starts tearing a bit, give it a couple days. If that happens a couple times, have it checked out.” He also suggests making an eye exam part of the pre-
purchase exam. While some eye problems are treatable, he says, there are issues that he would recommend walking away from, such as signs consistent with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) or glaucoma. Even eyes not actively inflamed may show chronic signs of uveitis, signs indicating that the horse may be developing glaucoma, or chronic corneal disease, which he says can be difficult to detect, and which will cause both the horse and owner long-term problems.
Common Ailments of the Eye “When I think about problems with eyes, the two most common categories of abnor- malities are trauma or infection, such as ulcers, and inflammatory problems like uveitis or kerati- tis (inflamed cornea),” Dr. Gard- ner says. “Most important is that people recognize if something isn’t normal.” “Eye problems vary dramati-
cally,” Dr. McMullen says. “I think there are some misconceptions that different types of horses get certain types of injuries. Although Thoroughbred racehorses are more prone to eye injuries due to having dirt kicked up into their faces while racing, they aren’t more prone to substantial injuries than any other horses are. Polo ponies are a notable exception since the nature of their sport makes them more likely to suffer from blunt force trauma during training or match play. Both corneal diseases and uveitis are very common amongst horses and can be present with a wide variety of signs and severity.” Squamous cell carcinoma of the eyelids, third eyelid, cornea and conjunctiva are fairly widespread, but generally are more common in lighter-skinned horses, he adds. Dr. Moding points out that eye problems can vary by
Dr. Rachel Gardner
geographic region. In California, she says, “Uveitis or inflam- mation of the eye is common and it’s worth noting there is a genetic factor in Warmblood horses; it’s not as common as in Appaloosas. Certainly in this area a lot of what we see comes
from leptospirosis, which can be spread by wildlife, by any mammals. We used to think it was more of a rural problem, but now we see it in urban areas too.” Fungal infections tend
to occur in warm, humid climates like the southeast- ern United States, she says, and can be extremely difficult to treat. “If they get a scratch that gets infected with fungus, it’s much worse than bacte- ria. Fungus is not as common here in northern California as it was in North Carolina, where I used to work.” Glaucoma is relatively rare and affects less than one
Dr. Kristy Moding
percent of horses, she says, but is difficult to treat. Laser treat- ment can be helpful but is not 100 percent effective and can be expensive. “Looking at the more expensive ocular issues, it’s a good idea to have horses insured,” she adds. Injuries are certainly a comment eye ailment. “We see
quite a few injuries because horses’ eyes are so big and they protrude from their heads a little,” says Dr. Gardner. “Corneal ulcers are very common; they’re literally just scrapes on the eye—horses are like us and react quickly, like you would if someone pokes you in the eye. They can be a result of bumping the head or for example a racehorse who gets sand kicked into his eye. Sometimes they have penetrating injuries like from a stick or more commonly a thorn in the eye. We frequently do surgery in these instances and often we can preserve the eye. We also see a lot of injuries to eyelids, which can be a big deal because the eyelid needs to move smoothly over the eye; if there’s any granulation tissue on the inner surface of the eyelid it can rub on the eyeball and create an ulcer.” Blunt trauma is very common, she says, often from horses hitting their head or pulling back and breaking the crosstie and having the snap fly up and hit them in the eye. “Even the force of the snap hitting the closed eye can cause swelling and trauma and I’ve seen horses go blind,” she cautions. “Any problem with an eye should be seen by a vet because it can go bad very quickly.” As a horse ages cataracts and vitreal degeneration, a.k.a.
vitreal floaters, may develop that will impede his eyesight. However it is possible for a horse to be born with cataracts or for cataracts to appear at a young age, so your vet is the best advisor as to what treatments to consider. At this time there is no treatment for floaters. Small floaters tend to not bother the horse, but larger bands of floaters may cause spookiness.
When to Call an Ophthalmologist While an ophthalmologist may be necessary in some cases, most general practitioners can also perform some diagnos- tics on your horse’s eyes. “General practitioners tend to be great at looking at horses’ eyes because they do a lot of eye
Warmbloods Today 39
Wiyanna Oakley
Courtesy Rachel Gardner
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