Eye problems (new)

Eye problems can affect all animal species.

• Eye injuries are especially a problem in camels, as their eyes protrude and they gaze on thorny bushes.
• The three most important conditions affecting the eyes of livestock in Kenya are Pink Eye, Thelazia Eye Worms and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the eye. 

 

Introduction

Different types of eye problems may have different causes such as: 

• Insect bites in the eye
• Ticks attached around the eyelid
• Eye worms
• Foreign bodies in the eye
• Injury to the eye, for instance by thorns aor herders' sticks
• Infectious diseases such as pink eye or camel pox
• Irritating sap from plants such as Euphorbia candelabrum (Luo: bondo, ojouk / Kikuyu, Meru: mathori / Kamba: ndau / Maasai: olpopongi)
• Snake venom
• Sun induced cancer
• Cataract

 

The most common signs are: 

• Watery or yellowish discharge from the eye
• Partially or totally closed eye
• Swollen eye
• Reddish eye
• Thick, whitishfilm covering the eye
• Abnormal growths in the eye

 

Prevent eye problems by doing following: 

• Apply tick grease or other repellants around the eyes.
• Manually remove ticks.
• When spraying make sure NOT to spray directly into the eye.
• Do not hit the animal especially not around the eyes
• Do not herd where there are many thorny plants or plants with irritating sap
• Use only leafy trees and shrubs for fencing in the animal pen
• Separate animals with infectious eye diseases from the rest of the herd
• Control Camel pox