INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 43 



The practitioner, or the owner of the animal, will 

 carefully examine the circumstances under which the 

 disease appears. If it is connected with cold or 

 influenza, he will treat the horse as for those diseases; 

 paying little attention to the eye beyond ordering it 

 to be kept clean, and trying to soothe the pain by 

 the use of anodyne washes. Generally, the inflam- 

 mation of the eye will disappear with the disease with 

 which it is associated. If any foreign agent, such as 

 hay-seed, dirt, &c , be discovered in the eye, of course 

 it must be removed, and after that a soothing wash 

 may be employed. If there is considerable heat, 

 swelling, weeping, impatience of light, and general 

 cloudiness of the eye, it may be well to do something 

 besides simply bathing the part with soothing lotions. 

 While the inflammation is most active, warm water 

 may be applied. 



Where the inflammation is severe, the angular or 

 eye vein may be opened, and a little food placed 

 upon the ground, supposing the horse to eat, will 

 assist the flow of blood; as the motion of the jaw 

 and position of the head promote the bleeding. Or 

 the practitioner should open the eyes, and turn the 

 lids upwards and lightly scarify them with a keen 

 lancet. The abstraction of even a few drops of blood 

 from the immediate seat of inflammation will often 

 be productive of the very best effects. The fomen- 

 tations should, in the last case, be more diligently 

 continued, in order to encourage the bleeding. 



Some sedative application may afterwards be used 

 to the eye. Either of the following lotions may be 

 tried : but there is often a peculiarity or caprice 



