Eyeball conditions in sheep and goats
- goout80
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Common eye conditions in sheep and goats
1) Keratitis – inflammation of the cornea
What you see:
• White/blue cloudiness of the cornea
• Sensitivity to light
• Lacrimation
• Sometimes fine blood vessels penetrate the cornea
Common causes:
Injury, foreign body, bacterial infection, or virus (mainly IBR-like in goats).
2) Corneal Ulcer
What you see:
• White/gray spot on the cornea
• Closed eye
• Significant pain
• May progress quickly and cause perforation
Causes:
Itching, intrusion of grass/thorn, bacterial infection.
3) Cataract – clouding of the lens
What you see:
• A deep “white spot” in the eye
• A milky appearance is seen through the pupil
• The animal sees less on the affected side
Causes:
Hereditary (especially in young goats), trauma, or the result of an infection.
4) Uveitis – intraocular inflammation
What you see:
• General cloudiness in the eye
• “Fog” inside the pupil
• The pupil narrows and does not respond well to light
• Pain
Causes:
Systemic infections, advanced corneal ulcer, trauma.
5) Glaucoma – High intraocular pressure
What you see:
• The eye looks large or swollen
• The cornea is shiny but blurry
• A dilated and sluggish pupil
Causes:
Most cases are secondary to intraocular inflammation.
6) Panophthalmitis – a severe infection of the entire eye
What you see:
• Severe swelling
• Purulent discharge
• Completely cloudy eye
• Sometimes bulging of the eyeball
Causes:
Injury that penetrated the eye, a deep ulcer that was not treated.
7) Neuro-ophthalmic damage
What you see:
• “Sunken” eye (pupil too large or too small)
• Lack of blinking
• Impaired reflexes
Causes:
Brain injuries, neurological diseases, head trauma.
8) Traumatic injury to the eyeball
What you see:
• Bleeding inside the eye (Hyphema)
• Corneal tears
• Sunken or protruding eye
• High sensitivity
9) "Blue eye" due to IBR-like / Mycoplasma
(most common in young goats in certain herds)
What you see:
• Milky opacity of the cornea
• Lacrimation
• Pain
• Sometimes a transition from a mild infection to a corneal ulcer
*It is always advisable to consult a qualified veterinarian.
