Whose horse gets an eye infection? The Optometrist’s of course!
My Icelandic horse, Greidi (pronounced Graydee) scratched his cornea and had an inflammatory reaction inside his eye aka he got an eye infection (not sure which one happenned first). The equine vet came out to see why his eye was swollen shut and watery. She diagnosed the condition and called a specialist, a veterinary ophthalmologist to make sure his retina was ok and refine the course of treatment.
Imagine asking a horse to put his chin on the rest and hold still! The specialist had to give him an anesthetic (just enough so he would remain standing and not fall over) and then throw a blanket over his head and examine him with a portable slit lamp – the kind I use on my patients – just bigger!
Needless to say Greidi is only somewhat cooperative when we put two different drops and an ointment in his eye three times per day. He also had to stay in the barn for three weeks during the day with a fly mask on to keep the light from hurting his eye. Today he left the barn for a brief ride and I am happy to report he was not sensitive to light and his eye was not watering. We are back to happy trails!
Just remember if you’ve ever scratched your eye are are in pain with any changes to your vision, call us! We can get you in the same day to see me, even if it means I have to stay a few minutes late because eye infections only get worse – fast.
