Bourne advises owners take caution and call their veterinarian anytime they see an eye problem in their horses. | Photo: Kevin Thompson/The Horse

Equine ocular insults are painful and sometimes unsightly, but with proper diagnosis and treatment most heal remarkably well

Did you know the horse has the largest eyeball of any land mammal? Did you know his eye magnifies everything he sees 50% larger than our eyes do? Or, that he can see almost 360 degrees around him?

“The horse’s eye is a beautiful structure that tells us so much about them,” says Rachel Bourne, DVM, a practitioner at Wisconsin Equine Clinic & Hospital, in Oconomowoc. “By looking at the eye, we can often tell how the horse is feeling, what they are thinking, and more. The eye really is a window into the horse’s soul.”  

A horse’s eye is one of his most functional and aesthetically pleasing features, so when an eye injury occurs, it can be unsettling for both him and his owner. In this article, Bourne, who has a passion for equine ophthalmology, will outline the top five eye injuries she sees in her practice, as well as what to expect for treatment and recovery