Equine recurrent uveitis is the leading cause of blindness in horses, causing repeated cycles of painful eye inflammation that progressively destroy vision.
Horses with ERU experience severe eye pain during each episode - intense light sensitivity, tearing, and spasm of the eyelids. Between episodes, horses live with accumulating damage and anxiety about the next flare. Progressive vision loss from repeated inflammation causes horses to become unsafe to handle and impossible to work. The cyclosporine implant represents a genuine welfare advance providing sustained anti-inflammatory protection. Enucleation, while drastic, provides permanent pain relief when other options are exhausted.