My 17 year old horse has cataracts and over the last month has started tripping and being cautious , can’t see Feed bowl and hay as easily . Can I have the cataracts operated on ?

It is possible for cataracts to be operated on, you should call your Veterinarian out for an examination to determine if Bugsy is a candidate for the procedure. I have added a link with some interesting information and photos on the subject. http://veterinaryvision.co.uk/equine-cataract-surgery.html

My horse has been diagnosed with cateracts. I still hack her out but have noticed for sometime her reluctants to go over road junction white lines. My questions is how long can I go on riding her? or should I stop now. my horse was diagnosed after sustaining an eye lid injury. She has no other symptoms yet but due to her age I am not in a position to have her operated on but happy to keep her in retirement.

Thank you for your questions. To give you an answer on how long it is safe to ride her, I would need to know the extent of the cataracts, and what her vision is like now. That would be a great question to ask your veterinarian, as they have seen her and know how advanced her cataracts are. Otherwise, I would definitely be safe rather than sorry, and error on riding her less if you aren't sure that she's seeing well.

I've got a 2 1/2 year old filly she was bred by us so we own both parents and neither have eye sight issues and both have other foals and there is no issues with there eye sight. A year ago her eyes became weepy almost like she had developed conjunctivitis I had the vet check her eyes and he was happy with them and just gave a dose of antibiotics. She's currently out on loan and yesterday the lady had the vet out as over the past couple of days she filly hasn't even been able to find her own food bowl. The vet claims they are genetic. Do they really come on that fast? Within a couple days for her to be completely blind amazes me. She has got scratches on her face they think she itches it in the brambles. The field owner also has a lot of barbed wire on the land. What would your personal opinion be on the cause?

There are various causes of blindness in horses and may be attributable to genetics, whilst neither parent has any issues nor siblings it doesn’t mean that Legacy doesn’t have any issue; however the role of genetics in relation to conditions like equine recurrent uveitis are still debated with varying opinions. Other causes including infections, parasites, poisoning, trauma may also be involved. I would suggest getting an Ophthalmologist out to check Legacy’s eyes and to see if any treatment or management options are available. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM

How can you diagnose if a cataract is heritable or if it is from trauma, Disease, etc Can a veterinarian tell you if a cataract has been inherited. Is this something that is easy to tell (Trauma V's inherited) Wondering whether to breed my mare who has a possible cataract, i don't want the possibility of passing it on. She is 11, has had no signs of impaired sight up to now (No spooking, jumps great meets her mark every time) i bought her 5 years ago

Generally hereditary cataracts are diagnosed based on a thorough history and no other signs of trauma, inflammation or disease. It would be worth consulting with a board certified Ophthalmologist to get more specialised information. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/local_resources/pdfs/pubs-HR27-1-bkm-sec.pdf http://media.news.health.ufl.edu/misc/largeanimal/Equine%20Lens.pdf