180 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



have taken its departure. This appearance is deceptive ; 

 it is only the lull before the storm ; it seldom happens 

 that it is gone, for in six weeks or two months we too 

 frequently find the eye again affected with all its former 

 redness, and often worse than on the first attack. Some- 

 times both eyes are affected ; indeed, from time to time a 

 succession of these abatements and attacks will have 

 succeeded one another until a cloudy appearance and 

 permanent opacity of the lens or capsule of the eye has 

 taken place, and confirmed blindness in one or both eyes 

 has resulted. The cause of this complaint is to be 

 looked for in bad ventilation of stables. The constantly 

 heated air of the stable may be considered the remote 

 cause of this disease, to which all horses seem to be 

 predisposed. The poisoned air is a powerful agent in 

 propagating ophthalmia, yet how few pay any regard 

 to their ventilation, and what are generally con- 

 sidered the best stables are oftentimes the worst 

 ventilated. To this may be added the too frequent 

 use of stables which are totally dark, so that when 

 the animal is suddenly brought to the light, the 

 abrupt transition produces spasmodic effect on the 

 muscles and vessels of the eye, and causes that excessive 

 inflammation which accompanies this disease. When 

 this disease first makes its appearance, the inside of the 

 eyelids should be freely lanced, which often has the effect 

 of stopping the complaint. The horse should be put 

 upon low diet, and gentle purgative medicine given. 

 Bleeding at the temporal artery has often been beneficial 

 in diseases of the eye. When the cornea presents a 

 cloudy appearance, bleeding and cooling medicine are 



