EYES. 81 



eye of either man or horse, and is ushered in by weeping 

 and partial closure of the eyelids. A thin film or scum 

 will soon be observed to spread over the whole of the front 

 of the eye. This condition will pass off for a week or two, 

 and then return with increased violence until the sight will 

 be entirely destroyed. Spots will be seen between each 

 attack, deep in the eye, gradually increasing in size, till the 

 nerve of sight is totally destroyed. 



Causes. Inflammation affecting the brain, tumors, or 

 bone pressing upon the optic nerve. 



Treatment. Doubtfiil of cure. Small doses of strychnine 

 may be tried to restore the sensibility of the optic nerve, or 

 colchicum may be used. (See Medicine.) 



Observe. There are many horses with extreme flat fore- 

 heads, the bones, seemingly pressing upon the lower por- 

 tion of the brain, just where the optic nerve is given out to 

 the eyes. These flat-headed (that is in front of the head) 

 horses, I have observed to go blind about the seventh year 

 of their age. Blindness arising from such a cause, may 

 justly be laid at the door of hereditary causes. Breeding 

 from blind mares should, therefore, be, as a rule, avoided. 

 If a mare from accident become blind, there are no scien- 

 tific reasons why she should not be used for breeding pur- 

 poses. What is to be observed is, not to breed from a mare 

 that has a very flat forehead and has not gone blind from 

 accident or injury to the eye. 



(2.) Floating Spots in the Eye. — Sometimes dark 

 cloudy spots or specks will be seen floating in the eye, 

 more or less movable, rising and falling, as the eye itself 

 moves. If they are unattended with weakness of the eye, 

 or the spots are not fixed, and dark, indicating the com- 

 mencement of the disease named above, they will be no 

 great injury. 



