Tips for Treating an Equine Eye Ulcer

secondary infection which vastly complicates healing.
As you wait for your vet to arrive place him in a dark stall with a fly mask if you have one. Its best to avoid flushing or washing the eye until your vet examines your horse in case a foreign object is still in or around the eye.
When your vet arrives she will likely sedate your horse and do a nerve block to the upper eyelid which allows for a safe comfortable and thorough examination of the eye. Shell then flush the eye with sterile saline and apply a fluorescein stain.
This stain is a simple yet fantastic diagnostic tool this special temporary dye adheres only to the middle layers of a damaged cornea thereby allowing your vet to immediately see whether or not the corneal epithelium has been breached and an ulcer is present. Ulcerated corneal tissue shows up as a bright neon green.
Depending on the extent of the damage your vet may also use an ophthalmoscope a special handheld lens and light tool to examine the inner structures of the eye however the inner eye can be hard to see with corneal edema which makes the cornea a cloudy opaque bluish color
Treatment for an Equine Eye Ulcer
Once your vet diagnoses a corneal ulcer and any other damage or disease is ruled out treatment can begin. Equine eye ulcer treatment consists of two primary components pain control and wound healing.
For pain control your vet may prescribe a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug such as flunixin meglumine Banamine or phenylbutazone bute. A drug called atropine usually given as an eye ointment is also sometimes prescribed for eye pain. Atropine makes the eye muscles relax along with dilating the pupil. For this reason horses on atropine should be kept out of direct light.
Wound treatment typically includes a triple

antibiotic ointment. When applying hold the ointment tube parallel to the lower eyelid and squirt a ribbon along the inside of the lid. Blinking action will ensure the antibiotic covers the eyeball. Never direct the end of the tube at the eyeball itself perpendicularly you could accidentally poke the horse in the eye if he suddenly moves. Applied three or more times a day this ointment helps prevent secondary bacterial infection and gives the eyeball a protective moist covering. The cornea is remarkably resilient and can heal quickly. Superficial equine eye ulcers frequently heal within three to seven days.
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