|
|
Moon Blindness in Horses (Equine Recurrent Uveitis)
How to recognize it and treat it
Photo Credit: http://www.vetbook.org/wiki/horse/index.php?title=Recurrent_uveitis
"Moon blindness" (Equine Recurrent Uveitis) is a a painful and progressive disease of the eye. The photo above shows a horse's left eye afflicted with the disease.
As many veterinarians know, eye ailments can have a nasty way of getting out of control quickly. Dr. Amber Labelle, DVM told the audience at Equine Affair in Champaign, IL that a call concerning an eye injury or ailment was sure to get her immediate attention. She talked about a most insidious ailment most commonly known as “moon blindness” (equine recurring uveitis).
Moon Blindness is a common eye diseases in horses, and the leading cause of equine blindness. One or both of the horse's eyes will show tearing, redness, cloudiness, swelling, and light sensitivity. It is called "moon blindness" because, like the moon, it manifests in phases--bouts of inflammation followed by periods of inactivity.
Veterinarians now understand that this disease is an autoimmune disease. The horse’s own immune system begins to attack the eye as though it were something foreign. Unchecked, it can cause retinal detachment, cataracts, and blindness. For this reason, checking your horse's eyes is of crucial importance to providing quality horse care.
Causes: The most common causes is infection with Leptospira, a spiral-shaped bacteria that can be found in areas with stagnant water. It can also be caused other bacterial infections, such as Lyme disease, and by virus infections such as flu and herpesvirus (both of which can be prevented through vaccination). In response to the infection, the horse's immune system goes into overdrive.
The initial episode of moon blindness typically occurs in horses four to eight years old.
Signs and symptoms: The telltale signs of uveitis are a constricted pupil with a “dirty water” appearance, squinting, tearing, and cloudiness. The good news is that veterinary hospitals are now successfully treating horses with this ailment using a technique developed at the University of North Carolina called suprachoroidal cyclosporine implants. These small implants are inserted into the membranes of the eye and do their work by suppressing the eye’s immune system. Although their inventors assumed they would last about 3 years, clinical experience indicates a 10 year lifetime.
Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD | March 2016
As many veterinarians know, eye ailments can have a nasty way of getting out of control quickly. Dr. Amber Labelle, DVM told the audience at Equine Affair in Champaign, IL that a call concerning an eye injury or ailment was sure to get her immediate attention. She talked about a most insidious ailment most commonly known as “moon blindness” (equine recurring uveitis).
Moon Blindness is a common eye diseases in horses, and the leading cause of equine blindness. One or both of the horse's eyes will show tearing, redness, cloudiness, swelling, and light sensitivity. It is called "moon blindness" because, like the moon, it manifests in phases--bouts of inflammation followed by periods of inactivity.
Veterinarians now understand that this disease is an autoimmune disease. The horse’s own immune system begins to attack the eye as though it were something foreign. Unchecked, it can cause retinal detachment, cataracts, and blindness. For this reason, checking your horse's eyes is of crucial importance to providing quality horse care.
Causes: The most common causes is infection with Leptospira, a spiral-shaped bacteria that can be found in areas with stagnant water. It can also be caused other bacterial infections, such as Lyme disease, and by virus infections such as flu and herpesvirus (both of which can be prevented through vaccination). In response to the infection, the horse's immune system goes into overdrive.
The initial episode of moon blindness typically occurs in horses four to eight years old.
Signs and symptoms: The telltale signs of uveitis are a constricted pupil with a “dirty water” appearance, squinting, tearing, and cloudiness. The good news is that veterinary hospitals are now successfully treating horses with this ailment using a technique developed at the University of North Carolina called suprachoroidal cyclosporine implants. These small implants are inserted into the membranes of the eye and do their work by suppressing the eye’s immune system. Although their inventors assumed they would last about 3 years, clinical experience indicates a 10 year lifetime.
Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins, PhD | March 2016