What allows you to see the breathtaking splendor of a sunset? The retina, an eye structure equal in beauty to a sunset—in the opinion of eye nerds, at least—plays an important role in vision. This 10-layered structure that lies against the back of the eye is responsible for changing an image into a nerve impulse, [...]
Quincy Quarter Horse and Polly Pocket Pony are munching on hay in adjoining barn stalls. Quincy: Hey, Polly Pocket, did I tell you that I finally got someone to tell my owner that I can have all the carrots I want? Polly Pocket: Wait, what? How did that happen? I want unlimited carrots, too! Quincy: [...]
We don’t get much snow here in Shreveport, Louisiana, but you may still have a snow globe as part of your winter decorations. What if you were gazing at your snowglobe one day, and noticed that the serene cabin surrounded by snow-laden fir trees has been joined by a garish, fluorescent-lit, 24-hour convenience store. This [...]
Good morning, animal friends. My name is Len S. Lux, and I am the spokesdog for the Animal Lens Luxation Association (ALLA). Unfortunately, the spokespony could not be here today because he was a little hoarse, so I will do my best to cover his portion of the presentation. Lens anatomy 101 First, what does [...]
Have you ever heard of moon blindness? No, it isn’t the latest Halloween craze, but rather another name for equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), the leading cause of blindness in horses worldwide. Uveitis refers to an inflammation of one of the layers lining the back of the eye, and the recurrent designation indicates that the horse [...]
Maybe you were giving your dog’s dignified grey muzzle a smooch, when you noticed what seems to be an eye booger stuck to their upper eyelid. However, when you tried to wipe it off, you realized it was actually a little fleshy bump. Or, perhaps your beautiful white kitty was giving you some head boops, [...]
If you know and love horses, you probably quickly figured out that they are giant—but lovable—disaster magnets. They will likely find any creative way to injure themselves, at the least opportune time. “I see you are packing the trailer so we can leave for a show. This would be the perfect time to run my [...]
If you have children, or your eyes frequently well up while you are reading books, or watching movies or advertisements, you are probably well aware of tears. Humans are the only species to have emotional tears, and scientists have studied and debated their purpose since 1500 BC. Theories range from tears serving to cleanse stress-generated [...]
Hi, I’m Bessie. My silly humans thought I looked like a cow, since I am a harlequin Great Dane—hence the name. This morning when I woke up on my favorite couch, my eye really hurt, and things were looking a little fuzzy. My mom was worried about me, so she took me to Veterinary Vision [...]
When you gaze lovingly into the depths of your dog’s soulful brown eyes, you realize that they are looking a bit cloudy. Come to think of it, he doesn’t notice the squirrels taunting him from across the yard anymore, and the treat you threw for him yesterday bounced off his nose, instead of being effortlessly [...]