EyeTonic *Supports eye health

The equine eye is the largest of any land mammal, and a beautiful thing to behold. Clear and bright, the lids tight, and the inside of the lid pale pink and moist.

A horse's visual abilities are directly related to the horse's behaviour and the fact that the horse is a flight animal. They never wink, so if your horse has one eye partially or completely closed, it could mean that something may be wrong.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the eyes are described as the window to the inner workings of the body, with the eyes thought to be connected to all of the internal organs. Each part of the eye is associated with a particular element and corresponding Yang organ - the iris is represented by the liver; the heart relates to the corners of the eyes; the upper and lower eyelids correspond to the spleen, the conjunctiva the lungs, and the pupil the kidneys. For healthy eyes, a healthy immunity is key.

However, although all the organs have their own connection to the health of the eyes, TCM considers that the liver is the key organ connected to optimal healthy eye function. TCM says that the liver opens into the eyes, and chronic eye problems can usually be traced to a deficiency of liver Yin or blood, for example. It is thought in TCM that it is common to resolve eye disorders successfully by treating the liver. Certainly we find in western herbalism that supporting liver health when focusing on eye health is important.

Eye injuries and infections are fairly common in horses, but if ignored they can worsen quickly. If the eye becomes badly infected, the structures of the eye can be eroded, to the point where the entire eye may collapse. A typical sign that something is wrong is profuse tear production (lacrimation). At first, the eye may just water more than normal, but if secondary bacterial infection develops, there will be pus in the discharge.

Our Cookie was prone to sticky eyes in winter and during high pollen counts, and I know from experience that it's all too easy to become accustomed to seeing a slight discharge, particularly associated with flies in summer or miserable winter weather.

Our Pops also really suffered with an inherent 'pink eye' syndrome - I've never known a horse lachrymose so much, which with Pops would turn yellow and crusty. She made it very clear that she didn't like me wiping it (understandable), and despite my best efforts with a face mask, she simply rubbed her eyes on her knees through the mask, creating more of a bacterial risk on the inside of the mask. As soon as we put her on our EyeTonic, literally 24hrs later her eyes were improving, and we never looked back from then on.

Pink eye in horses isn’t so different from pink eye in humans. The conjunctiva is the sensitive pink lining of the eyelids that covers the sclera , stopping microbes from entering the eye while lubricating the eye with mucus and tears. Pink eye, aka conjunctivitis, appears when the conjunctiva becomes irritated and inflamed - it literally means something's been rubbed into their eyes, usually from rubbing their eye on their knees due to wind, pollens, dust, flies etc., and causes irritation which then leads to infection. It can also be caused by virusus or bacteria, an allergic reaction, or blocked tear ducts. Since the majority of cases are viral or allergy-related, pink eye doesn't seem to respond to antibiotics.

While conjunctivitis in horses is not airborne, it is contagious, so keep an eye out for overly weepy eyes, head shaking, knee scratching, discharge, redness around the eye rims, an aversion to bright lights or sensitivity to dust.

If you need to take a closer look to confirm redness and irritation, bear in mind that a horse won’t be thrilled about you poking around there, but you can use your thumb and forefinger from one hand to gently spread the eyelids apart to better see signs of concern.

That said, the most common cause of poor vision is exposure to cold and dampness, depriving the eyes of vital warmth and nourishment which results in poor circulation to the eyes. A fly mask can usually help, and you can clean the area very gently with a simple saline solution 3-4 times a day. This can be made up with 1-tsp salt to a cup of lukewarm water - it should taste like tears.

Another useful tool in the box is to make a tea of either calendula, or chamomile, or both, both lovely supporting herbs with antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Let it cool and use as a gentle eyewash with a cotton wool pad.

Tincture

Our human-grade, certified organic tinctures gives you a ready-to-absorb potent source of phytonutrients at the highest-strength available, for immediate absorption straight into the bloodstream and to the body’s cells.

Feed Guide

• Pony - 15-20ml / Horse - 30-40ml, daily in feed.
• Always shake the bottle to disperse any sediment.
• 3-yr shelf life.

Astragalus membranaceus Decocted 1:3 35%, Taraxacum officinalis Radix ( Dandelion ) Decocted 1:3 45%, Echinacea purpurea Dec / Inf 1:3 25%, Euphrasia officinalis ( Eyebright ) Infused 1:3 25%, Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair) Infused 1:3 25%, Carduus marianus ( Milk Thistle ) Decocted 1:3 65%, Tabebuia impeteginosa ( Pau D'Arco/Lapacho ) Decocted 1:3 35%

Herb Blend

Produced to ecological standards and free from agro-chemicals. See our Quality page for for Organic Certification Documents.

Feed Guide

• 5g/100kg bodyweight (i.e. 25g daily for a 500kg horse), in daily feed.
• 1-yr shelf life.

Astragalus membranaceus, Taraxacum officinale ( Dandelion ), Echinacea purpurea, Euphrasia officinalis ( Eyebright ), Ginkgo biloba, Silybum marianum ( Milk Thistle ), Tabebuia impeteginosa ( Pau D'Arco/Lapacho ), Rosa canina ( Rosehips )

Supplements of any kind should be fed with caution to the pregnant or nursing mare so always seek veterinary advice.

• 15.6.21-Thank you Carol, the difference this has made to her eyes is amazing. All the best, Tracey

• 6.3.21- Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I have a mare with Uveitis. When she came to me last October her eye was always running and closed with her eyelashes down. She has been on your herb mix since december and what can I say - her eye is perfect - not runny - never closed and showing little sign of pain. I have not used the steroid drops now for over 2 months and no bute.I am managing her totally with UV mask and keeping her out of the wind but honestly her eye is amazing. Kay.
• 3.1.21- Going well, horse really enjoying the supplement and his eye is looking very bright and better than it has for a while! Will be re-ordering soon.
• 8.5.18 - Thank you so much for your advice. My horse had an attack of uveitis in September last year resulting in 12 days in an eye hospital. On return home I put him on your EyeTonic. A couple of weeks ago he went back to the specialist for his 2nd check up. Both eyes had normal pressure and virtually all signs of ERU had disappeared, plus a cataract in one eye had shrunk! The specialist was amazed as never seen this happen before...... he asked for the company details!
• 27.1.18 – So far so good! New horse purchased in July last year developed Uveitis in September exact cause unknown. He was treated at specialist eye hospital for 12 days then returned home on pain killers no eye drops and to wear mask during turn out. Started feeding your EyeTonic product immediately was back in full work a month later.