scratched eyeball

[swillymaid]

I just came back from hunting today and noticed my horse had a really weepy eye (lots of clear, watery tears). I looked closely and he appeared to have a scratch across the surface of his eyeball. I have not interfered with it and will go and check it again shortly. He seemed happy enough and was eating/drinking etc.
Does anyone have any experience with this problem?? Obviously I will call the vet if it is swollen or there are any changes in the morning. I am worried about this.... think he must have got spiked by a branch/twig.

 

[Sam22]

Scratched cornea is the same thing as an ulcer and is an emergency that requires topical antibiotic therapy started immediately. I think you should call your vet to speak to tonight at least, maybe you will have something they are happy for you to use until you get the proper stuff tomorrow. He will also need anti-inflammatories so if you have any bute at least start him on that tonight. If it gets infected he could loose his eye hence an emergency.

 

[appylass]

[ QUOTE ]
Scratched cornea is the same thing as an ulcer and is an emergency that requires topical antibiotic therapy started immediately. I think you should call your vet to speak to tonight at least, maybe you will have something they are happy for you to use until you get the proper stuff tomorrow. He will also need anti-inflammatories so if you have any bute at least start him on that tonight. If it gets infected he could loose his eye hence an emergency.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what I would have said!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

As Sam22 has said, a damaged cornea is a veterinary emergency. You have no way of knowing how deep the scratch is and even surface scratches can be buggers to heal on corneas because (obviously) the cornea has no blood supply. He will need fluoroscine dye in the eye to discover the extent of the injury, examination of the internal structure just in case, atropine to keep the pupil open otherwise adhesions can form that stop the eye from ever working properly again and antibiotic creams/drops applied as frequently as you can manage. Word of warning - if you've never had to put creams/drops into your horse's eye before be very, very careful. Creams are best applied to the end of a clean finger and then squished into the eye. Drops: you have to pull the lower eyelid outwards to make a little pouch and then bring the tube/bottle PARALLEL to the eye, not at rightangles. One jerk from an anxious horse at the wrong moment and the sharp pointy end of the tube can go right into the eye and make a bad situation 100 times worse. You may always need someone to hold your horse while you apply meds - it can be tricky otherwise (see Sunny in my sig below - right eye missing - final nail in that coffin was when he was stabbed in the eye with the poiny plastic end of the meds tube). Don't be fooled into thinking cold tea or human "soothing" eye drops from the chemist will sort a scratched cornea out - they won't.

 

[swillymaid]

Thanks for the advice, managed to get hold of vet and he is due out anytime now. Have put Bob in dark stable out of the sunshine. Hopefully things will go ok.
Useful advice ref pointy tubes - its bad enough putting stuff in your own eyes!
Fingers crossed...

 

[swillymaid]

Vet been... used green stuff to show up the damage which is a round gauge on the pupil area. Got to keep him in for the week out of the wind/sun etc and in the dark, also applying special antibiotic cream....

 

[Sam22]

Glad you got it sorted, the hole should heal by 1mm a day so hopefully 1 week is plenty of time and he'll be fully better. I hope he's good for the cream!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Green stuff is the dye hun - it shows more on damaged areas so the vets can see any trauma. Of course, it then runs fetchingly down ned's nose and drips green slime on your feet lol. Again - caution with the meds. Creams are easier to apply and I honestly would recommend you wash your hands, rinse every trace of soap off and dry, then apply a dollop of the cream to the blunt end of your nice soft finger. Then squish your nice soft fingertip into ned's eye. Even if he jerks or tits about, your finger tip can't hurt him. I'm sure he'll make a full recovery - any idea how he did it?

 

[Mojo's mum]

Vet been... used green stuff to show up the damage which is a round gauge on the pupil area. Got to keep him in for the week out of the wind/sun etc and in the dark, also applying special antibiotic cream....

I had the same problem last year. Not helped by the first vet who decided the eye wasn't healing and cauterised the whole eye causing us HUGE problems. 2nd vet called in specialist and it was then treated properly. He advised me to buy a fly mask and blank out a large patch over the eye which I did with black masking tape. The pony could then go out in the field and it was protected from the elements.

 

[YasandCrystal]

Hi yes always take eye injuries very seriously - I have learnt that. My mare 'scratched' her eye a year ago and you just cannot tell what damage has been done. I delayed the vet until the next day and basically it was a huge deep laceration that just missed her cornea and she was lucky not to lose the eye. She spent 3 weeks at the AHT Newmarket and had 2 operations. The bill was a whopping £5,800.00, but her eye was saved and she has only likely lost a tiny amount of periphery vision. My mare did her injury on a hawthorn hedge - I found that out via communicator - the vet's face was a picture when I told him a communicator talked to Crystal. lol.
I am pleased your is less serious.