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  Discussion on Uveitis - existing condition, before purchase?
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Posted on Tuesday, Mar 20, 2001 - 11:11 am:

I recently joined this service and would be grateful for comments on the following situation.
I purchased a 7 year old Westphalian warmblood about 5 months ago. He was vet-checked. About 2 months later I noticed some abnormalities in the right eye. After reading this site on uveitis and other eye diseases, I suspected uveitis.
However, the horse exhibited no discomfort, and you could only see the abnormalities (absence of pupil dilation, whitish/green color on Iris etc), by looking closely or in direct light. When I purchased the horse, I noted that he was extremely well schooled, collected very well etc, but with the anamoly, that he disliked cantering on his right leg, and often bucked and became stressed with the effort. Otherwise, he worked fine from both leads (right and left)
He also tripped quite a bit, sometimes falling down at a walk (which I found unusual). I also noticed that he carried his head unusually high at times, and was unusually alert (ie ears, head up) frequently. He was however very gentle, displayed little stress with foreign surroundings. He is kept in a stable (in Europe). Cars/trucks on the road (which I had to ride through) did not bother him, on any side (ie right or left). There have been no significant behavioral changes in the horse since I bought him, except for the better - he canters properly on both legs, and does more dressage movements, and is generally more relaxed.
The horse was found to be blind in the right eye about 2 months ago (3 months after purchase). Diagnosis was recurrent uveitis. The vets/specialists said that the "rearrangement" to the eye was extremely severe, and that the iris was affixed to the lens + there was really no prognosis for recovering sight. The usual medications were prescribed, but none had any impact on the condition. I did notice that the eye had teared a bit a few months ago, but since the condition improved by itself, took no further notice.
I have been told by the vets, that given the severity of the condition of the eye, and the absence of behavioral changes in the horse since
I bought him (except for the better) - he was probably blind in the right eye before I purchased him. However, the caveat is, that untreated, recurrent uveitis can cause complete and untreatable blindness even within 3 days of first symptoms, so it is possible, that a uveitis attack did render the eye blind while I had the horse. This is the biggest **question I have - was he probably blind before I got him, despite the check by the vet (who I have no faith in). I would be grateful for any comment on this. Thank you, debbie

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 21, 2001 - 6:34 am:

Hello Debbie,
Concering when the horse went blind: I cannot make that evaluation without examination and your best bet is to rely on those who can examine the eye directly. But I do have a comment on the recurrent uveitis. It would be quite rare, and I have never seen such a case, for RU to result in blindness in 3 days. I have known horses to have the condition for years without developing blindness.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Mar 22, 2001 - 8:49 am:

Dr O, thank you, I appreciate the input. I was told by the veterinarians that the condition can create irreversible blindness within a very short period such as 3 - 8 days. I gratefully noted your comments to the contrary.
I would actually feel better, to think that the facts above, would be consistent with a horse that was blind in one eye before purchase. I would welcome further comment on this, subject of course to your caveat, that obviously an examination would be needed to give any meaningful analaysis.

Posted on Friday, Mar 23, 2001 - 8:03 am:

About once a year I will go prepurchase a horse or check out a new horse and discover that the new owner (and sometimes claims by the old owner) that they were unaware the horse was blind. Usually the first clue is the way the horse travels with the head cocked with the good eye forward and a tendency to avoid turning to the side of the bad eye. It happens. I do find an opthalmoscope in the hands of many equine veterinarians, without specific opthalmic experience, a dangerous thing (put the scope down carefully and back away, and no one gets hurt) with the problem being over interpretation of the significance of minor lesions. If the case does not seem to fit together very well you may want to have the eye reviewed by a veterinary opthamologist before doing anything radical.
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - 9:46 am:

I am grateful for the comments on this. The problem is ongoing. I had 2 veretinary opthamologists involved. My biggest question is, is it most likely that the horse had the problem before purchase. Would the "blood vessel" occurence have happened fairly recently, notwithstanding that the horse could have been blind in one eye with uveitis, over 6months ago.

"At the start of this year (february), I diagnosed uveitis in a 7
>>year old horse. This uveitis (posterior synechiae all around the
>>pupil, opacified lens, retina non visual) didn't respond to the
>>treatment administered. Because the owner hadn't noticed any change
>>in the eye and the behaviour of the horse since she bought it 6
>>months earlier, we assumed that the uveitis would be prior to the
>>purchase.
>>On 12/05/01, I went back to check on the horse. The eye looked
>>quiet, but on closer examination, I could see thick blood vessels on
>>the surface of the iris, bridging over the remaining miotic pupil.
>>These vessels were not present at initial examination.
>>Does this mean that the uveitis was not as old as we assumed or can
>>these kind of changes still occur months or even a year after the
>>uveitis started."

Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - 11:14 am:

I think the opthamologist is trying to say:
he is suprised at how rapidly the changes are occurring so he is less certain of how long this has been going on. I do not know what else I can add to that.
DrO
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