16
DUSTY
PERIN
LINDSAY KELLER
D
id you know the horse has the largest eyeball of any
land mammal? Did you know his eye magnifies every-
thing he sees 50% larger than our eyes do? Or, that he
can see almost 360 degrees around him?
"The horse's eye is a beautiful structure that tells us so much about them,"
says Rachel Bourne, DVM, a practitioner at Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospi-
tal, in Oconomowoc. "By looking at the eye, we can often tell how the horse is
feeling, what they are thinking, and more. The eye really is a window into the
horse's soul."
A horse's eye is one of his most functional and aesthetically pleasing fea-
tures, so when an eye injury occurs, it can be unsettling for both him and his
owner. In this article, Bourne, who has a passion for equine ophthalmology,
will outline the top five eye injuries she sees in her practice, as well as what to
expect for treatment and recovery.
1
Corneal Ulcers
These are the most common eye emergencies Bourne sees in her
practice. A corneal ulcer is basically a scratch to the surface of the eye
caused by trauma. Bourne says a horse can sustain these scratches when get-
ting poked in the eye by a piece of grass, hay, or a twig and/or rubbing his eye
on something.
Clinical signs "Classically, owners will see a sudden onset of tearing and/or
squinting," Bourne says. "The horse might even have his eye totally shut and
be sensitive to touch and light. A corneal ulcer feels like when we get an eye-
lash in our eye or something stuck under our contact. It is an uncomfortable
COMMON C O M M O N
EYE
C
E
5
INJURIES
Equine ocular
insults are painful and
sometimes unsightly,
but with proper diagnosis
and treatment most heal
remarkably well