Eye removal

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karen.nicholls

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A few months ago I wrote about the improvements in my horses eye after having uveitis and how he was going to have an implant put in.

Unfortunatly we have had a very rare complication and we now have a list of problems. He has an ulcer which has been made worse by the steroids to treat the uveitis so in stopping those the uveitis is now back. He also has crystals forming on his cornea and the skin is not attaching properly on the surface of his eye.

It looks like a long road to try to manage all the problems and now my insurance has run out. If we don't see an improvement then eye removal is another option. I have planned to give him 7 weeks until my summer holidays. (I'm a school teacher) and then make a decision.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with eye removal and could offer some advice. It is a very emotional and difficult time.
Many thanks
 
Don't worry. My mare had very similar problems to your horse and they recommended removing the eye. I was so upset - she was only seven and such a pretty mare and i thought her competitive life would be over.
The eye become worse and the vets said she would be better off with no eye than very limited vision so we went ahead with the op.
Six weeks later she was competing again and qualified for the Riding Club Championships. We did absolutely everything with her from all the pony/riding club teams, hunting and she even went on the liberty and livelyhood march through Leicester city centre. We have always said she was the best horse we ever had.
So again, don't worry.
 
I feel for you, it's a pity but I think that your horse will be so much happier with the eye removed. He will have had a lot of discomfort and the fact that he has had sight problems will make it easier for him to make the adjustment.
 
Sorry to hear that. I know that the local riding school have had horses with one eye removed for similar problems and they have been fine after and returned to normal work. I see a horse with one eye who SJ's sometimes at SNEC and it certainly doesn't look like it affects him! Good luck!
 
After prolonged periods of treatment for recurrent uveitis my old TB was no longer insured and I was at the end of my tether!
After discussing with the local vets we decided surgery to remove his eye was the best course of action. Given he was no longer insured my vets were fabulous at minimising costs and allowing him home at the ableist opportunity to nurse him myself.
Once the eye was removed he adapted seamlessly and was actually no longer spooky, I think as his vision deteriorated he struggled with shape distortion.
It took a period of weeks for the eye muscle to die back, so initially he looked like his eye was stitched shut, over time it sunk and he was left with a sunken socket and I'd frighten kids occasionally, at one show a kid ran screaming saying their was a horse with a skull for a head! :eek:
He competed at RC level including jumping XC ans SJ to about 2'9 max as he wasn't hugely talented so it that which prevented him from doing more or higher not the lack of eye. He hacked safely and competed in dressage with some success, again not his eye the problem, more how badly he was put together :o
He was fine to lead on his blind side and actually preferred you there as he used you as his eye, if he wanted to look at something he would just swing round and use his good eye to look
He was much happier post surgery, keeping him in was playing havoc with his tummy and he struggled to keep weight on without grass so prolonged periods of box rest were a nightmare for me. It was the best thing for him while the eye was not attractive, he retained his loveable character and adapted with no issues at all. Please PM me if you want to ask anything else.
 
My friends horse had his eye removed just after Christmas due to a tumour in his eye. He's not looked back, he's a far happier horse in all honesty - his pain has been taken away. He was back being ridden 2 weeks later and you forget he's only got one eye.

He had the implant and due to his colouring he just looks like his eyes shut. Someone actually thought that was the case when we met them out hacking. As the vet said to them it's more of a shock for you, the horse will cope and will be pain free - isn't that what matters?

Edited to say the implant stops the sunken look, it's obviously more expensive but the owners did it for their sake as they found it very difficult.
 
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I believe Ahrena on here has a horse with one eye who she events :) he always looks fab in the pictures she posts and seems like the one-eyed ness doesn't bother him!

I'm sure she wouldn't mind you messaging her about it x
 
I've been reading this with interest as my mare MAY have uveitis, but if she has it, it's in the very early stages.

If it's not being too nosy, could I ask what the approximate costs are involved in eye removal, as I worry I might run out of insurance if she needs long term treatment, or if the eye ends up excluded on the policy.

On another note, my OH had his eye removed five years ago from uveitis, and he's never regretted it. The pain he experienced during attacks was almost unbearable.

He soon adjusted to no sight at all in that eye; in fact he said the headaches he was getting must have been down to all the extra work involved in trying to see out of a compromised eye, because rarely gets that type of headache any more!
 
I have been told the eye removal will be around £700 as they can do it standing up.
With specialist visits, drops and the implant operation I nearly reached my limit on insurance and both eyes have now been excluded.
It is Very fustrating as we thought we would/could manage it as it seemed low level but after 4/5 attacks we decided to move forward with treatment, I really wish we had contacted the eye specialist sooner rather than later even though my vets have been Fantastic!
 
I had an eye removed in a 3 week old foal he's now rising 3 and I sometimes forget he's only got one eye, at the time I was almost on the verge of having him put down as was told he'd be worthless, but decided I'd keep him as my next riding horse and really cant wait to back him and get on with things. He acts totally normally about things and has adjusted well however in his defence he never had sight in that eye so that may have made it easier, but there are plenty of horses that had an eye removed in later life and have coped well with just the one eye.
 
I just lost my one eyed boy to cancer and he was the best horse I've ever had. I didn't jump him but that was more because he was rather tricky to jump, he was fabulous with a better rider though. We stuck to dressage and hacking, you completely forgot he was missing an eye he was so fabulous. He even coped when he lost sight in his remaining eye. Horses are amazingly adaptable creatures, I'm sure your boy will be just fine.
 
I went through this with a shetland pony of mine, she had the eye removed standing up and within a couple of days adjusted really well. She is now in her 20's and living quite happily albeit not as a ridden horse. It was horrible at first and I was quite upset about the way she looked. Not many people notice nowdays that she only has one eye. Looking back it saved her a lot of suffering and I would not hesitate to do it again if necessary.

Good luck, keep us updated on it :)
 
We've got a mare at the yard where I keep mine with one eye and she's amazing. Very happy confident hacker, lovely at schooling, forward going and can jump. Is good in the field and seems to show no obvious signs of just having one eye causing her any space/distance problems etc. I think they can adapt very well. Her surgery looks like it was incredibly neat and the nerves in the skin around the eye socket all still work so initially you'd think the eye was still there.
 
Hi my 26year old boy had uvitus and the vet suspects the loss of sight was caused by it and it not being treate ( we have no history of him as we bought him from beeston auctions 6 years ago) anyway last year the uvitus beat us he was getting a attack every other week and he lost weight and became depressed the attacks varied but the last attack caused him to cut his eye lid open from throwing his head into the wall he would also try to rub his eye on anyone who came in he was given bute but was still in pain and his eye was swollen and we decided we had done all we can but the eye needed to come out.Plus he could go in the moring fine and come in with a uvitus attack this happend one day and my friend went to catch him only for him to run into the fence at speed!
He was booked in for 2days later i was worried mainly as jack has never even been sedated since i had him let alone had a op the guy who did it was so helpful and calming jacks op lasted 1hour he was absolutly fine i went to see him that night and at first was abit shocked as his eye was just stictched shut but after some weeks it sunk in and hes like a diffrent horse i wish i had done it earlier hes put on weight his happy to see people and loves playing in the field the change is unreal he must have been so down and in pain with it.
the whole thing inc call outs stableing at the vets ect was about £1600 will try to find a pic of him without his eye haha
 
Can karen.nicholls please post on here or message me regarding the cyclosporin implant. My own horse may have to have both eyes done due to dreadful recurrent uveitis. I would appreciate first hand experience and costs. Or anyone else who has had this done. Many thanks.
 
I've no experience of uveitis so can't offer any advice. However when my old pony was at the vets and I went to visit one evening, there was a small pony just coming out from having his eye removed due to an ulcer and to be honest if I hadn't been told I dont think I would have noticed. He didn't seem bothered at all and was fine the next day too.

Hopefully it doesn't come to it but if it does, they usually cope very well.
 
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