We have seen multiple eye injuries recently so we would ask you all to check your horses daily for any signs of injury.
The horse’s eye is relatively large as they are prey species. This leaves them open to risk of trauma from either long grass, hay in round bales, or hedges.
The best way to spot a painful eye on a horse is to stand from the front and check their eyelashes are open evenly: In the horse there is a nervous connection between pain, and dropping of the upper eye lashes.
Do not forget to pay attention to any swelling or eye discharge.
If ulcers in eyes are not treated quickly with antibiotics, they can become infected. The horse’s immune system tries to treat the infection quickly and dramatically. As a result, the horse’s cornea becomes dissolved and starts to melt. This is very dangerous and can quickly lead to rupture of the eyeball.
Another reason ulcers are prone to infection is there is no good blood supply to the cornea so the only defense against invading bacteria is the tear film.
Blood vessels will grow into the cornea to fix an infection, but this is a very slow process hence the need for antibiotic treatment.