horses eye

Hi I am also new to this forum,

My geldings eye looks normal except it has some small swelling under it. It is a little redder than normal. He is not favoring it or closing it like he is in pain at all. Not sure if I should take him in or keep watching it. It has been about 3 weeks since i noticed it but its not getting any worse. Is there an eye med i can put in it in case there is some infection going on without causing blindness? Also there seems to be a little more watery discharge from it, but he typically has a little watery discharge from his eyes anyway. He is an appy and i know i have to watch for moon blindness but just wondering if he hit his eye or scraped it at some point could the swelling below the eye be a sign of infection? Can i treat it w/ triple antibiotic ophthalmic ointment or gentocin ophthalmic ointment at home without seeing a vet, or could these meds cause more problems? It really does not look that bad, just a little abnormal.

[lindasp62]

Thank you for writing. In my  opiniion, eyes are nothing to mess with on one's own without the advice of a veterinarian. Your own vet would be the best as a a hands-on examination where he could pull the lid back if necessary, etc.  Also, have you tried phoning your vet?  Best of luck and keep us posted.

[Moonwillow36]

Having horses for many years I am certain it's fly allergies.You can put a fly mask on him during the day and take it off at night. If you are boarding have the care taker feeding the horses take it off for you and put it on in the mornings if your not there. In his morning grain you can give him benadrill about 4 pink pills once in the morning with his feeding or evening if he eats grain in the evening hours. If you notice the swelling gone and watery eyes gone the next day then it's allergy and the vet can tell you something to give over the phone if it's not an emergency they will not show up till the next vet check.