Swollen eyes

Black_Horse_White

Black_Horse_White

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Hi, I'm very new to this so please be kind
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I have owned my horse for nearly three years and he has had a reoccuring swollen, runny eye about four times. I have had the vet out twice and had ointment, eye drops and have been told it was conjunctivitis.

He had it two weeks ago and the vet was again called and he gave ointment once again which cleared it up, only a week later it has returned.
I just wondered if anybody else had had the same problem?

Thanks.
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Are you sure he's not allergic to something? Mine has had occasionally 'black eye' type of swollen eyes. Either singly or on one occasion, both. He has had tears, but no 'snot' and they have gone down spontaneously after a few hours.

I rang the vet straight away, as you must, for all eye matters, but since he was trying to open them, not keep them shut, the vet thought he'd had an allergic reaction.

With conjunctivitis, the eye weeps and is snotty and the surrounding eye tissue is usually red/redder than normal. Ponies I have had which have had conjunctivitis have never had swollen eyes as such and certainly not to the degree my chap gets with the thing which happens to him! Nor has it ever been/got so bad they can't open their eyes or prefer to keep them shut.

I do ring the vet every time, though, just in case...
 
I have only had the vet out two weeks ago and he said it was conjunctivitis. He does open it when he is being nosey, but when he is relaxing in his stable it seems to be half closed.

As for an allergy, I thought that maybe it would be in the summer, but not the winter as he is bedded on dust extracted shavings and good quality haylage.
 
Evening and welcome to the forum.

It's such a mystery isn't it? The vet has ruled out uveitis and an ulcer and has diagnosed an infection, conjunctivitis to be specific.

I just don't understand how it can be swollen (like it's bruised) in the morning and then perfectly normal a few hours later or vice versa. It seems to "come on" either in the stable or the field, so it's not like something outdoors or indoors specifically triggers it is it?

Doesn't seem to bother him....in that he shows no signs of being in pain, doesn't rub at it as though it's itching etc and doesn't close it away from bright lights or if you are bathing it.

It really is a mystery. I am sure the vet, on the numerous times the practice has been out to look at him, is correct in thinking it's nothing to worry about medically...but that is easy for him or me to say "don't worry". As a caring owner, I totally understand your anxiety and concern over it and your desire to find a cure to the problem to prevent it happening.

Don't you wish they could speak to us and tell us what is going on? It would be so much easier (and a damn sight cheaper in vet bills too!)
 
just a tip - it is now possible to buy chloramenphnical(sp) anti-biotic eye ointment,over the counter in any chemist.
It costs about £4.50 a tube- much cheaper than the vets!
 
Take great care buying antibx over the counter. They will only work IF it's a bacterial infection and IF it's the strain of bacteria that will respond to that particular antibx. You could make things a whole lot worse using something without professional guidance.

I'm confused - are Patches and bhw the same poster? Has the vet said defo NOT ulcer or uveitis? Conjunctivitis can indeed cause the eyelids to be swollen. The conjunctiva are the membranes under the eyelids. Take great care because untreated or, rather, unsuccessfully treated conjunctivitis could predispose your horse to a far more serious condition called superficial keratitis. This is an auto immune disease where the horse's own body starts trying to destroy parts of the eye. It can be notoriously difficult to get under control and even then you tend to walk a tightrope between stopping the body's "wrong" attempt to attack an invader that isn't there whilst still allowing the normal infection-fighting activity to go on.

I've been through all this with my horse and if you search on "eye" threads, you should find a host of hopefully helpful info. If it was my horse, I would immediately request a referral to a specialist hospital that has an eye expert on hand. Eyes are very fragile and very hard to heal.

A final word of caution: be very, very careful putting any ointment or cream into a horse's eye because one anxious jerk from the horse at the wrong moment and you can scratch or even penetrate the cornea with the pointy end of the tube. This is what finally cost Sunny his eye. Much better is to carefully wipe the eye area with plain sterile water, wash your hands thoroughly and then apply the ointment to the end of your finger. Then use the end of your finger as the "tube". If you slip, the blunt end of a squashy finger tip will cause far less damage.

PM me if I can help further x
 
<font color="blue">I just don't understand how it can be swollen (like it's bruised) in the morning and then perfectly normal a few hours later or vice versa. It seems to "come on" either in the stable or the field, so it's not like something outdoors or indoors specifically triggers it is it?

Doesn't seem to bother him....in that he shows no signs of being in pain, doesn't rub at it as though it's itching etc and doesn't close it away from bright lights or if you are bathing it.
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Well, that's exactly what happens to mine. Once he came in like it and once he was like it first thing in the morning. It hasn't happened in ages but when it does, I still panic, ring the vet and then look in amazement when he is completely normal again in a few hours. It doesn't seem itchy or sore, he doesn't rub it and seems perfectly fine. They look shiny, like proper 'shiners' and he peeps out through the puffy lids. There is no redness and he doesn't appear at all bothered. Like I say, once it was just one, once it was both. About twelve months apart. Odd.
 
Of course I'm not B_h_w. Why do HHO members always seem to assume that people have more than one persona?
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I was "talking to" bhw about her horse. She is a very dear friend of mine and I know her horse well. Indeed he is the love of Patches life.

I'm sure she'll find your reply very interesting (if a little scary). Certainly interesting about the ointment. We'd only said a couple of days ago how "dodgy" using an ointment could be. Luckily her horse seems to just stand there and let you treat him, unlike mine would. She's such a wuss.

Just to add, incase you can reply before bhw can check her thread again.....the vet has put dye in the horse's eye to rule out an ulcer and he confirmed it wasn't uvetitis.

I just don't remember what the vet said he felt was the root cause of the problem, bad memory and all that.
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Just wondering, as you say, only a week later and it was back again, after clearing up; how long are you putting the ointment in his eye for? How many days I mean? When any of mine have ulcers/eye issues, I always continue with treatment for at least a week, generally more like 10 days after symptoms have completely gone. I am wondering, therefore, if you are stopping treatment too early?

I can't imagine anyone putting the tube of ointment in a horses eye, always use a fingertip, as BoF says, and make sure your fingers are sterile.

Good luck and hope whatever it is, clears up fully eventually.
 
i would wash out with a herb called brighteyes it works for swallon ulcerated and infected eyes use that until you call your vet first thing tomorrow. that will help soothe it. give her a couple of sachets of bute as well just incase ske is in any pain and it will help with the swelling. if you are not happy with what your vet says and it keeps on recuring get a second opion!x
 
On behalf of the OP, I have uploaded two pictures of her horse, taken today.

The "problem" eye is his right, the left as you look at it. It's nowhere near as swollen as it has been, but you can still see it's not open as much as his left.
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The slightly closed right eye in profile. He'd just had eye drops put in it, which may or may not explain the tears...OP will be able to shed light on whether they were there before the drops were administered.
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I know people mean well but please, please, please get eye problems properly diagnosed before putting ANY over the counter products into your horse's eye. Horses don't get hangover eyes or computer eyes or after-sobbing eyes or late-to-bed eyes. They get pokes from brambles, odd infections, bumps, bangs, foreign bodies, immune deficiency problems and a host of other things that CAN be made worse by putting the wrong products in the eye at the wrong time.

Once you know it's "nothing" then it may be ok to put "soothing" products in. Even then, the danger of stabbing your horse in the eye and scratching or puncturing the cornea is horribly high. If you have to do anything, just get some cooled, boiled water and a spotlessly clean cloth and gently squeeze the soaked cloth over the horse's eye so the water runs in. Take a look at Sunny in my sig if you want to see what can go wrong when busy staff stab your horse in the bad eye with the ointment tube. I'm not trying to shock, just to make people aware. x
 
Just to clarify, Box_of_frogs, the drops which my friend has put in her horse's eye are the drops the vet prescribed for him....not something she has bought over the counter off her own bat, so to speak.

One vet prescribed ointment, which was used, the next vet prescribed drops. Both equine vets, working out of the same practice.

This has been an ongoing problem with this horse and my friend is completely paranoid over it being something sinister....hence the numerous callouts with the vets over the months/years and the tears of panic when it recurs. Each time they spend a good half an hour or so examining his eyes, putting drops in to check for ulcers etc etc. Each time they come up with the conclusion that it's probably dust or something irritating his eye, perhaps from rolling in mud and not closing them properly, to pollen and flies in the summer. They are not at all concerned by his problem though and try to allay my friend's fears, especially when she expresses her fears about him either going blind or losing an eye etc.

She has certainly not ignored it and wouldn't self medicate without the advice of a veterinarian. Being a caring, concerned owner it doesn't matter how many times they tell her not to worry, she does.....alot!
 
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looks like he could do with having his Tear Duct flushed out, P, has the vet suggested this?

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He's had that done already. They put a dye through both eyes as his left eye (not the one that swells) was running all of the time. The left eye was blocked I think and they declared he had a missing tear duct in that one I think (my friend can correct if I am wrong). I'm sure the right eye was fine.

You know what it's like, the eye really swells up like he's been punched in it, but by the time the vet arrives the swelling has subsided.
 
Aaah bhw and Patches. Bummer. Thanks for really comprehensive info - it seems you have both tried everything possible to get the horse right. It was the advice to put over the counter products in that worried me. When Sunny was in the thick of his treatment, NOTHING went in that eye that hadn't been triple screened by the vets first. NOTHING. That's because if you don't actually know what is causing the problem, you can make things ten times as bad.

I share bhw's concern. Recurring problems must indicate something! It's interesting to note that Sunny had a partially blocked (or possibly never properly formed) tear duct on the side that he finally lost his eye. I also now know that this is the side he ALWAYS hurls himself onto the ground - usually in deep mud - for his rolling marathon. It does make you wonder, when you consider that eg the mud fever bacteria lives in the ground. There must be a host of other opportunistic bugs lurking in the mud, especially near the gate where our horses stand waiting to be brought in and pooing and peeing. I've often wondered if he picked up something nasty from the mud that was able to take hold in an eye already compromised by poor tear production and chronic conjunctivitis. Which came first? Who knows?

The worry is that a recurrent problem is a) obviously not "sorted" and b) could cause more and more damage with each episode. I'm surprised your vets are so unconcerned, given that the problem seems to pop up at any time of year, with the same symptoms but they are suggesting different reasons. No disrespect to them at all but I would still be asking for the horse to be seen by a specialist equine opthalmologist.
 
I do sympathise, as I have an old boy with the same problem. It's been on and off for 2 years, with veterinary intervention, ointments, drops and checks for ulcers etc. One vet (two have seen him) said that it may be because he's older and the tear ducts are blocked, so not washing away dirt as they should. I asked her if she had a problem with me buying the chloramphenicol myself after the initial prescriptions and she said no, but I have the pickiest pharmacists in my area and if it isn't for you, some of them refuse to sell it to you (apart from a nice lady in Boots, who said 'I'll pretend you didn't mention a horse'!!).

The only way I can keep on top of it is to wash his eyes EVERY DAY. That way, he hasn't had conjunctivitis for almost 8 months, just a little watery when the weather is exceptionally cold or windy.
 
Just a thought but have they backflushed the tear duct? I have had to have this done on mine, they connect a tube to the tear duct in the nose and gently run liquid through it. My horse hated it but it sorted the problem, Potters Bar recommended it after he was referred there for a swollen eye we could find no cause for.
 
although his eye is swollen, it doesn't look as if it is partially closed which (according to my vet) is always a sign of pain and pain=infection/scratch/damage etc. Not pretending to be an expert here but he looks happy enough, just with a puffy eye! Maybe it is just a reaction to something - you certainly seem to have covered everything else off!
 
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