Luxated Lens

[Nats_uk]

Has anyone had or know of a horse that has had surgery to remove the lens from its eye?

My horse has had chronic bouts of uveitits/ulcers in his right eye for a while and I have was recently referred to the AHT in Newmarket when we couldn't seem to control it with drugs.

Poor B was poked and prodded by 3 vets (one being the head of opthalmology) and even had photos taken of his eyes!!!

Left eye - his lens has luxated and is sitting on the bottom at the back of his eye. There is also inflammation in the eye. They think he is long-sighted in that eye. They think they might have to put him in surgery and operate on the eye to remove the lens. Where the lens is currently situated will make it a risky procedure (risky in terms of his eyesight) but if they did that succesfully then there should be no reason to have to take the whole eye out.

Right eye - there are slight fatty/mineral deposits in the eye which are normally typical after an ulcer/uvetitis so are surprised to see them when that eye has never been a problem.

The plan is to treat the inflammation in his left eye and he has to go back to see them on the 27th July. If the inflammation hasn't gone down (or the lens has caused further damage to the eye) then they will discuss carrying out the surgery on the lens. They think it is likely they will have to do some form of surgery on that eye (either the lens or whole removal) as having the lens float about in the eye is irritating and it can cause further damage to the eye and what sight he has.

I just wondered if anyone had any experience of this surgery? I know the vet sad they haven't carried out many in horses

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

No experience of the lens problem but my horse developed superficial keratitis after his previous owners didn't bother to adequately control simple, but chronic, conjunctivitis.

We battled for 6 months but in the end stages the cornea was deeply ulcerated, he had secondary uveitis and the whole structure of the eye was beginning to break down. He was in constant pain and many times over this 6 months he had to have our local vet out, in between lengthy stays in a specialist hospital, to give intravenous pain relief.

I would say that from the minute he came round from the GA he was a different boy because, though sore from the surgery, the relentless 24/7 pain he was in had gone. He has gone from strength to strength although I constantly fret about his remaining eye. He is a safe and happy hack, can pop jumps with ease and handle dressage as if he was born to it. And he was 19 when the superficial keratitis developed.

Good luck with your horse. Be interested to know how it turns out. I really posted to let you know that enucleation isn't the end of the world and the horse can often have instant huge relief from unmanageable pain x