Eye!

[HayleyUK]

Pony has come in this afternoon from a night out with a slightly swollen and semi closed eye.

I've bathed it with cold water, and cold tea to soothe it & can't really see anything in it/around it.

I suspect its a midge bite or something.

Picked up some 'golden eye' from chemist earlier & will pop that on later, any other suggestions?

 

[amandathepanda]

Eyes shouldn't be messed around with - personally if there is any discharge or swelling around the eye area I would consult my vet every time. What might start off as a simple, treatable infection caused by a foreign body can lead to an eye removal if left.

 

[emma_lg]

If swelling doesn't go down pretty quickly I would probably get the vet out to check it...eyes are so delicate and simple problems can turn in to other problems...the vet can have a proper look in the eye and treat accordingly...
Hope all is ok...

 

[HayleyUK]

Its not massive swollen or anything, its incredibly slight & its more the area above her eye.

I planned to bathe it again tonight & if it hadn't gone down/improved was going to give the vet a ring & ask for advice.

There is no discharge etc, its all perfectly clear just looks like shes got it half closed.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

I would echo Panda and Sparrow - eyes are so fragile and so precious that it is always best to err on the side of being over cautious. I don't see how a night out could bring a midge bite, certainly not one big enough to half close an eye so I'd get the vet out. My boy had to have an eye removed after chronic conjunctivitis wasn't treated by his previous owners and the trauma and sadness is enormous. Hopefully, your ponio has just pranged an eye/eyelid on a twig but you'd never forgive yourself if it progressed to something worse. I'd also warn you to be very, very cautious about putting anything in a horse's eye. Quite commonly, ointment/drops come in a tube with a sharp, pointy end. As you try to get this within half a millimetre of the surface of your horse's eye, ONE JERK from ponio and you will stab him/her with the end of the tube. What might have been nothing immediately becomes a medical emergency.