50 INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 



in the opinion of veterinary surgeons on the subject 

 of cataract. It is supposed to be capable of forming 

 in much less time than was once thought to be pos- 

 sible. It may appear, and become almost perfectly 

 formed, in the space of from one to six days. 



It is also ascertained that cataract may appear 

 without any previous active inflammation, or without 

 any apparent disease of the eyes. It is now fully 

 proved, that partial cataract, that is, slight specks or 

 spots on the lens or its capsule, do occasionally dis- 

 appear. They are only thus transitory, however, 

 when they are of spontaneous origin, or spring from 

 causes which are not to be traced. When they are 

 the consequences of injuries or disease, the cataract is 

 stationary, and seldom disappears. If their appear- 

 ance be spontaneous, mild constitutional measures 

 and local stimulants to the eye are often successful. 

 When they are the result of violence, the mild or the 

 opposite course of treatment is the most beneficial. 



When a cataract supervenes after inflammation of 

 the eye, it is generally the case that the disease does 

 not a^ain recur: if the cataract should involve the 

 entire lens of one eye, the other is generally pre- 

 served. So, also, if the remaining cataract is partial, 

 or admits some degree of vision, the eye is likely 

 afterwards to continue in this state. The last termi- 

 nation is, however, hardly desirable, as the horse 

 with defective vision is more apt to make mistakes, 

 and to become a dangerous possession, than is the 

 animal afflicted with total blindness. 



The chief inconvenience experienced from small 

 cataracts, or partial injuries, springs from their ren- 



