Protection for blind eye

[caths]

My mare has been blind in her right eye for about three and a a half years and we have had her for three years. Our vet thinks that it was untreated Uveitis that caused this and when she came to us we had various specalisits assess her. All confirm that she is completely blind in the eye now but it appears not to be causing her many problems. She has had various pressure tests done as well should that info be needed by our vet in future. My reason for the post is that from time to time she can hurt her eye while out in the field despite our best attempts to keep branches trimmed back etc. It seems she can poke her eye on a twig or long piece of grass and the eye does become very swollen and painful and twice she has had a small ulcer develop on the cornea which was picked up via dye staining. I wondered if there was any form of protection I could buy to cover the eye whilst she is turned out. As I say its not every day this happens, just now and again but it is so painful for her over the following two or three days. We have steroid cream from thevet to use in these instances but if there were any thing we could use to protect the eye from further damage then we would like to try those options. Does anyone know of anything and if so where could this be bought.

 

[fairhill]

What about using a fly mask? Might cut down the visibility in the good eye, but will stay on in the field and give some protection.

 

[Thistle]

have a look at www.horsemask.com they do masks with individually removable eyepieces. It is an american site but there is a UK supplier.

 

[Fairynuff]

i looked after a mare who had to have an eye protected 24/24. We had the saddler fit a leather dome over the appropriate eye hole of a set of racing blinkers (the blinker on the other side was removed). It was still going strong when the mare left the clinic and went home,2 months later! M.

 

[YorkshireLass]

Those masks look very good!

Apart from that, don't be tempted to trim off any whiskers. They are feelers that stop the horse bumping in to things!

 

[Theresa_F]

Cairo has only one eye and to protect the remaining eye he wears a cashel crusader fly mask nearly all the time when in the field.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

My horse had to have his eye removed after a 6 month battle to save it. So he can no longer damage the eye itself but he has damaged the eye socket quite badly. A local saddler made a brilliant protector for the side of his face and if you PM me your e-mail address I'll send you pics of him wearing it. Imagine a really good quality poll guard but shaped specifically to cover the eye. It slots onto a standard headcollar so would be ok on a fieldsafe one. Have you discussed with your vet removing the eye if it is useless and prone to damage and injury?

 

[blackcob]

My horse is blind in her right eye and has never seemed to have much of a problem with damaging it accidentally - she had a scratch on her cornea last year from sticking her head in a bramble bush but it was on her good eye! We used a fly mask while it was healing to keep it clean and protected which seemed to do the trick. Those Guardian Masks look brilliant though.