A comprehensive view of cattle eye health — from cancer eye to trauma and vitamin A deficiency.
Cattle eye welfare extends beyond the well-known infectious keratoconjunctivitis (pinkeye) to a range of conditions causing significant ocular pain and vision impairment. Ocular squamous cell carcinoma — most common in Hereford cattle in high-sunlight environments — begins as benign precursor lesions that are highly treatable but progress to invasive tumours causing permanent welfare compromise if undetected.
Ocular trauma from environmental hazards — barbed wire, sharp feed particles, thorn injuries — causes corneal lacerations, uveitis, and secondary infection. Pain from corneal injury causes blepharospasm, photophobia, and reduced foraging activity. Without treatment, traumatic injuries progress to corneal ulceration, hypopyon, and potential globe rupture.
Eye welfare assessment in cattle should be routine. Daily observation identifying squinting, ocular discharge, or corneal opacity allows early intervention. Treating early-stage pinkeye, removing thorns and foreign bodies from eyes, and monitoring Hereford cattle for early ocular SCC lesions all contribute to maintaining ocular health and preventing welfare impairment.