Prolonged Analgesia in Ophthalmia. 



In most of the ailments of the eye of the horse, 

 that are serious enough to require treatment, the great 

 amount of pain and photophobia present are obstacles 

 to the examination and manipulation required. The 

 animal forcibly resents any attempts to examine the 

 injured optic and even the application of the twitch 

 does not help matters much. 



It is not practical and rather costly, to instill a 

 cocaine solution and too often a careless examination 

 is made and an eye lotion prescribed. 



By following the plan which I shall outline it is 

 possible to relieve the excessive pain in a few min- 

 utes, after which the animal will usually open the eye 

 fully so that a careful inspection may be made, and if 

 further examination, with a speculum, is necessary, 

 the animal resists but little or not at all. 



The procedure consists of first removing all traces 

 of mucous or other discharge with a cotton swab and 

 sterile water. When this has been done, a one-grain 

 hypodermic tablet of quinine-urea hydrochloride is 

 placed into the conjunctival sac at the inner canthus. 

 It dissolves quickly, promoting a flow of lachrymal 

 fluid and apparently produces an anesthesia of the en- 

 tire organ and membranes. Within ten or fifteen 

 minutes the animal will open the eye freely and ap- 



39 



