DISEASES AND TKEATMENT OF THE HORSE. 153 



milk twice a day and apply the eye wash in and around the eye. 

 This will help to check the inflammation and keep the sight in the 

 eye long-er, but it finally terminates in cataract of the eyes, that is, 

 blindness. In some cases where the eye looks very irritated it is 

 well to bleed from the vein below the eye, but it does not gen- 

 erally do so much good as it does in simple ophthalmia. 



CATARACT OF THE EYE. 



Cataract is a pearly white deposit across the sight of the eye, 

 and it may be what is known as a complete cataract, that is 

 where it cov^ers all the sight, or it may be a partial cataract, that 

 is where the animal can see a little. 



Causes.— It is caused by repeated attacks of inflammation of 

 the eye, the same as we have in ophthalmia; or foals have been 

 born with cataracts on their eyes. This disease may effect one or 

 both eyes. There is a white deposit over the sight of the eye. 



Symptoms. — If it is only partial cataract the animal can see 

 a little, but if it is a complete cataract the animal cannot see at all. 



Treatment. — -Very little, if anything, can be done, unless by 

 an operation, and such an operation is not attended with much 

 success in the horse because you cannot regulate his sight with 

 glasses as is done in people. As for medicine, when the cataract 

 is well formed there can be nothing given to help him. The only 

 thing we can advise you is when you are buying a l.nrse be sure 

 he is not aflfected with this disease. 



STAR GAZER (AMAUROSIS). 



This is paralysis of the optic nerve which gives sight to 

 the eye. 



Causes. — Standing in a stable that is dark, or by striking the 

 bead against something. In severe cases of bleeding, horses 

 have been known to go blind, but as the blood returns he gains 

 his sight. 



Symptoms. — The eye has a large, glassy appearance, and the 

 pupil of the eye is very much enlarged, and if he is taken out of a 

 ■dark stable into the light the pupil of the eye does not close up 

 the same as if it was all right, but remains large all the time. 

 The animal generally carries his head high and steps high. 



Treatment. —If the case is of long standing nothing can be 

 ■done for it ; if it comes on from injury by striking the head 

 against something, or from bleeding, it can be treated all right. 



