Equine recurrent uveitis is a leading cause of blindness in horses, causing repeated painful inflammatory episodes requiring long-term management.
Equine recurrent uveitis causes significant acute pain during inflammatory episodes and progressive vision loss across the lifetime of affected horses. The pain of active uveitis is severe — the equine eye during an episode is intensely photophobic, and horses show clear behavioural pain responses including head-shaking, reluctance to work, and altered gait. Chronic pain between episodes and the anxiety associated with repeated painful events compounds the welfare impact. The progressive vision loss creates additional welfare concerns: blind horses must adapt to restricted environmental perception and may show increased anxiety and safety-related behaviour changes. Medical management with topical anti-inflammatory treatment during episodes is essential to minimise damage, while surgical implants in appropriate candidates substantially reduce episode frequency and the cumulative vision-loss trajectory.