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  Discussion on Recurrent uveitis and catarack
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New Member:
Trishs

Posted on Friday, Dec 6, 2002 - 12:44 pm:

Flash developed ERU last March and by May also had a small catarack. I posted several messages and got great advice. I finally got Flash off Meds in June and had no reoccurence until late Nov and at that time he had lost his vision. My vet thought that the catarack was larger too--the thing that is not known is whether he lost his vision due to ERU or the catarack. I started using the Guardian Mask in May and have used it religiously since. I think that it helped his comfort level quite a bit. My question now is: since he is blind do I need to use the mask? I still have him on Predacetate & Bute 2xdaily and will continue to decrease them with time. Hopefully, when I get him off the meds he won't have a problem with pain. If he does, the next step is to remove the eye. I would welcome any advice--Thanks, Trishs
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Dec 6, 2002 - 7:54 pm:

Yes the mask helps prevent further irritation from the sunlight. In fact if you can further darken that side, perhaps sewing in opaque material, it would be more helpful.
DrO
Member:
Trishs

Posted on Saturday, Dec 7, 2002 - 12:35 pm:

Dr O--thanks for your prompt reply. I thought that since Flash was blind in the affected eye the sunlight wouldn't bother him--its no problem to use the mask, I just don't understand the mechanics of why sunlight would still bother him. He is still getting use to single vision and I thought that the mask blocked some of his vision from the other eye. If it keeps him comfortable it is certainly worth putting on him.
Member:
Fpony

Posted on Sunday, Dec 8, 2002 - 7:35 am:

Trish,

My pony has been totally blind from ERU for 4 years and sun doesn't bother him. On windy days and when the bugs are bad I use a mask. I have found if he rolls with the mask on and gets dirt ground into it that the dirt can irritate his eye. I use his mask very selectively.

On an up beat note, my pony does extremely well with being blind in one eye. He still enjoys jumping (small jumps-no bigger than 2'6").
Member:
Trishs

Posted on Sunday, Dec 8, 2002 - 6:43 pm:

Kim, I have several questions: did your pony have a catarck also or did he just go blind from the ERU? Once he went blind, did he still have pain from the ERU? Did you have the eye removed? I'm trying to plan ahead and actually know that I just need to take it one step at a time--which is hard. Thanks for your reply. Trish
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Dec 9, 2002 - 7:35 am:

The sun burns the sensitive tissues of the eyes resulting in local inflammation and pain: just like a bad sunburn Trish. Some horses are more sensitive to the problem depending on how much unpigmented tissue there is around the eye.
DrO
Member:
Fpony

Posted on Monday, Dec 9, 2002 - 9:31 am:

Trish,
I judge his pain by the tearing,swelling and his attitude. Usually the eye has that cloudy/blueish hue through out when a flare up is starting. If these things are occuring I keep him in and/or use his mask as well as start in with his meds.

Foxy has a cateract and the pupil is now always sightly dilated. I think it is because of the scarring and adhessions. He also has glocoma in that eye which is controlled with med.

For Foxy, his flare ups are few and far between. I feel we have been lucky. The year before we got him the vet had recommended that he have his eye removed as the eye was bothering him so much. He was at a camp where it was more difficult for them to notice the suttle changes as a flare up would start. They didn't remove it. I think I have just been lucky-flare ups certainly doesn't mean poor management.

I would do whatever it takes to make my horse comfortable. Kim
Member:
Jenny

Posted on Friday, Jan 3, 2003 - 12:59 pm:

Hi there Trish!

My horse, Majic, is almost totally blind (totally in the left, mostly in the right) due to ERU. This fall one of my vets suggested that Majic should get along fine without his fly mask because not enough light was getting into his eyes to bother him. Two days without the mask and his eyes were running so he's back to wearing his mask full time when he's out. Kim is right, the masks can get dirty, but Majic has little choice. I used to leave it off of him on cloudy days but I never knew when the sun might pop out.

Dr.O can tell me if I'm way off base with this. I think that blind doesn't necessarily mean black, which is why sunlight is still a factor. Majic's eyes are very cloudy inside. When the sunlight hits them the insides glow green. When I think of his blindness I don't think of his world being dark, but as if he's looking through a foggy windshield. If the light outside is just right he can "kind of see" through it. If it is too bright his world becomes a glare. And in the dark? Try driving around in the dark with your windshield fogged up.

When the kids at my old barn used to ask me what was wrong with Majic part of my explanation would be to have them stretch a white plastic bag across one eye and look through it into the light. "Can you see," I would ask. "Kind of." "Can you tell what anything is?" "No."

Eventually there will come a time when Majic's eyes will have to be removed but only if 1.)the eye in question has lost all sight and is causing him pain. 2.)The eye degenerates to the point that it needs to be removed. i.e. it dies or it ruptures. This is what my vet has explained to me. At that point I will have to make some big decisions and I only hope that that point is a long way off.

I, too, tried the Gaurdian Mask but I found that the velcro lining around the eye pieces caught and collected hair that then irritated Majic's eyes. Now he sports a Crusader fly mask and is doing very well with it. I find that it's shape keeps the fabric (and the dirt) well away from Majic's eyes.

Good luck with your horse, Trish. And remember, all you can do is all you can do.

Jenny
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jan 4, 2003 - 10:11 am:

Hello Jenny,
The problem with sunlight varies from horse to horse and is related to the amount of pigment. Some horses with little pigment literally cannot be exposed to sunlight without severe irritation occuring. The term for this is actinic conjunctivitis and is independent of whether the horse has sight or not.

Any irritated eye with any amount of vision is more painful the more light it receives. If your horse is blind and the sun does not cause further irritation you may not benefit from a mask.
DrO
Member:
Garnet

Posted on Sunday, Feb 2, 2003 - 8:49 pm:

How do you know whether to use a fly mask between flare ups? Should this be done preventatively regardless of pigmentation or symptoms for any ERU horse?

I am concerned about it turning around and irritating his eyes. We have a lot of trees in the pasture, Cedar and Live Oak. I have found him with the mask turned on his face. It has ears and fits him well.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Feb 3, 2003 - 8:35 am:

The primary symptoms you would be trying to control are pain (squinting) and actinic irritation which exhibits itself in its mildest form as tearing. I think the irritation could be a real problem so careful monitoring and keep the mask clean and in good condition important.
DrO
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