Horse eye problems are quite common. Horses are somewhat prone to eye injuries and infections, so it is extremely important to check your horse's eyes at least a couple of times per day. Left untreated, eye problems among the equine family can become very serious quickly. This issue is so serious that even a minor eye problem, if left untreated, can result in blindness for your horse.
A healthy horse's eyes should look bright and clear with very little tearing. The inside of the eyelid should be moist and pink. Should you notice swollen or torn lids, heavy amounts of discharge, redness or inflammation, or other signs of obvious damage, your horse will require treatment. Horse eye problems need not be a medical emergency. If caught early and treated properly, your horse's eyes can be returned to full health in a relatively short amount of time.
If your horse has any type of injury or noticeable infection, try cleaning the area gently with a saline solution. You will also want to put a fly mask on the horse to prevent flies from aggravating his injury. If possible, keep your horse in a dimly lit area until your veterinarian can take a look at him to make an official diagnosis. Horse eye problems involving cuts or tears in or around the eye area can be stitched up by your veterinarian. You should never attempt to take care of these types of problems on your own.
One of the most important factors to remember in treating horse eye problems is that you must never prematurely cease treating your horse, even if he is showing complete signs of improvement. When healing eye problems in horses, it is essential to complete the full regimen of treatment as prescribed by your veterinarian.
Prevention, of course, is the best cure for horse eye problems. Make sure that your horse's living environment is not only as dust-free as possible, but also try to make sure that there are no sharp edges on any structures or furnishings that your horse will have access to. Be as careful as possible with your horse, but do understand that some eye injuries occur simply from horses being playful with one another. As long as you provide your horse with a safe environment, however, you will minimize the likelihood of such occurrences.
The less exposure your horse has to possible harmful fixtures in general, the less likely he will be to develop horse eye problems.
