Follow-up report of a case of surgical aphakia with an analysis of equine visual function

More work is necessary to establish corneal dimensions and retinal structure and neural organisation in the equine eye. This paper reports a case of surgical management of bilateral cataracts in a pony and the results of a survey of refractive error in normal horses. Aspects of accommodation are discussed. It is suggested that a difference in retinal receptor organisation between horse and human eyes could explain the good visual performance of the aphakic pony; and that the degree of blurring of vision in the aphakic situation is less, both in absolute terms and in proportion to presumed normal levels of vision, in the horse than in man. It would not seem necessary to consider intra-ocular implants for horses at this stage. The authors feel it is unwise to extrapolate too freely from human data. More information is needed on the optics and retinal topography of many species, particularly horses and dogs, before routine implant surgery on eyes is undertaken.