The prominent location of your horses eyes leave them very exposed to injury. Even minor damage to the eye can worsen rapidly and put their sight at risk in as quickly as a few hours to days in some cases. Combined with the fact that injury, infection or inflammation of the eye can be extremely painful for your horse it important to identify injury and seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.
Signs of a Painful Eye
- Excessive tear production
- Squinting or closing of the eye
- Swelling/ redness
- Discolouration of the eye
- Avoiding bright light
- Constriction of the pupil
- Discharge from the eye
What to do
If you suspect your horse has an injured eye:
- Move them to a darkened stable
- Remove any objects that they could rub their eye on (rugs, tack etc)
- Call your vet
