INFLAMMATION OF THE EYES. 



581 



Fig. 897. 



1. Sclerotic coat; 2. 4. Veins of the choroid; 3, Ciliary 

 nerves; 5. Ciliary ligament; 6. Iris. 



an organ. The eye is wholly covered by a thin membrane- called 

 the conjunctiva. 



Simple Ophthalmia, or Inflammation of the Eyes, 



is a common disease among horses, and consists of inflammation 

 of the, conjunctival 

 membrane covering 

 the eye. 



Causes! — It may 

 be produced by 

 many di fife rent 

 causes, and perhaps 

 the most common is 

 from the introduc- 

 tion of a foreign 

 substance into the 

 eye, as a hay seed 

 or chaff pickle be- 

 coming lodged in the 

 external covering 

 (cornea), or by direct 

 injury to the eyes, as from the blow of a whip, or something of the 

 kind. When from a-blow or direct cause of injury, but one eye will 

 be affected, while if from cold, etc., both eyes will be involved. It is 

 also caused by allowing horses to stand in foul stables, ^specially in the 



summer months, whereby ammoniacal 

 gases are generated, proving' very inju- 

 rious to the .eyesight. It proceeds from 

 .exposure to cold, and is often an accom- 

 paniment of catarrh. 



Symptoms. — The eyes are weak ; the 

 conjunctiva, or inner lining of the lids, 

 inflamed ; water running from the eyes; 

 the . lids partly, if not wholly closed, ac- 

 cording to the, severity of the case. Blu- 

 jsh or white film, the result of inflamma- 

 tion, comes over the cornea, extending no 



deeper than the surface, and may vary from slight cloudiness to 



entire opacity. 



treatment.' — This must, in a great measure, depend upon the 



cause ; therefore it is of the greatest importance ' to make a careful 



examination, especially if but one eye is affected. 



Fig. 898.— Capillaries of the Vas 

 fiular Layer of the Retina. 



