administration of eye medications

Administration of eye ointment, drops, suspension or gel

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A good method is to place your index finger in the crease of the upper eyelid and push the upper eyelid upwards without pressing too hard on the eyeball. Use your thumb to spread the lower eyelid. The medication can then be administered directly into the lower eyelid conjunctival sac. The heels of your hands should be in contact with the horse while administering the medication. It is important that someone stands on the other side and holds the head.

This method can be carried out at home in the stable or in the clinic. We generally recommend that patient owners never administer the medication more than twice a day, as more frequent treatment is difficult to carry out on a daily basis. If frequent administration is necessary, the patient must be treated and monitored in the clinic. This is for the benefit of the horse patients and their caregivers.

Administration of eye drops via a catheter in the eyelid

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If the pain is severe and eye drops need to be administered every hour or two hours in the clinic, we insert a so-called subpalpebral catheter. This tube is usually located in the upper eyelid and the access through which eye drops are administered is attached to the mane. This means that eye drops can be administered without having to touch the eye.