blind

levigsp

Well-Known Member
Hi All a couple of weeks ago I took someone out stalking and they got a blind buck, I am not going to name him :D
Anyway the eyes were so unusual I decided to take the head to the county Vet Laboratory to see if they could shed light.
Both eyes were normal in size, one was opaque the other was very strange, the pupal was enlarged and like black rubber, it would not shine, even when wet, the rest of the eye was opaque.
I did get the results and was very surprised to discover what it was but thought I would first see what forum members made of it.
So I will hold of on the answer till Monday.20160524_091725.jpg20160524_091733.jpg
 
I have shot them and filmed them in my garden with what appeared to be cataracts,or maybe having been pierced by a thorn
Martin
 
I was told that it was called New Forest disease, seen a few over the years. Once found a newly born Roe kid that was blind in both eyes.
 
I was helping with a Red Deer census a few months ago and had a mature roe buck stand up in the heather about 5 meters away from me. I was fairly quiet on a soft earth track. It hesitated for almost 10 seconds and I noticed its eye was glazed before turned and saw me with its other eye. I will be interested to hear the veterinary opinion!
 
Looks like New Foreest Desease you get in cattle,never seen it in Deer though,assume they can also get it?
 
So this is nothing like the New forest disease that I've seen.
In that the eyes are inflamed, red streaks or blotches etc. and very watery.
There were no cataracts on the eyes.
In this dear the only noticeable things were the mat opaque look and the fact you could not make them shine even with water! and the pupal being like mat rubber.
 
So this is nothing like the New forest disease that I've seen.
In that the eyes are inflamed, red streaks or blotches etc. and very watery.
There were no cataracts on the eyes.
In this dear the only noticeable things were the mat opaque look and the fact you could not make them shine even with water! and the pupal being like mat rubber.

so was that the diagnosis from the vets then?
 
Well firstly let me state that as I new very little if anything about Rape blindness [I thought it was a thing of the past.], I asked the vets and was told that if it occurs you cannot see it yourself as it effects the cortex of the eye, therefore the eye looks normal to us.

As to the Roe pictured, it is almost certain that the eyes were damaged by heathland fire, apparently its the hot smake that does the damage!, you live and learn.
 
Really! how close would they need to be? for how long? I ask because subjected to it when burning heather for days on end, yes have had
sore eyes from it but never known of anyone to go blind.

You would think the level of contamination would be a lot less in a roe as roe will move quickly away from fire.
 
Hi I don't know how long etc and like you I have had my fair share of muir burning.
However I have shot roe on more than one occasion with burnt hair and skin, always after wild fires in the whins and heather, but never noticed their eyes.
In all the years I shot deer this is the first time I have noticed eyes like this, on one eye it looked like the cornea had turned to rubber! and both eyes were dry.
We have just had extensive wild fires again so I will make a point of looking in the future.
 
Well firstly let me state that as I new very little if anything about Rape blindness [I thought it was a thing of the past.], I asked the vets and was told that if it occurs you cannot see it yourself as it effects the cortex of the eye, therefore the eye looks normal to us.

As to the Roe pictured, it is almost certain that the eyes were damaged by heathland fire, apparently its the hot smake that does the damage!, you live and learn.

Wow, that is interesting and a first for me at least. Thanks for sharing.
Nick
 
These are curious. The right eye I'd say has a sequestrum (dead tissue) in the centre of the cornea, surrounded by a lot of corneal oedema (the blue swelling - why it's rubbery). The left eye I think has a sequestrum at around 11 o'clock and is, again, oedematous. So there's certainly been some trauma to the eye. I can't comment on the hot smoke theory though.
 
Still trying to stretch the brain about this one?

Just a couple of questions?
If said damage was caused by smoke how does the facial hair and skin appear to be undamaged, would it not be the case that this would be likely of a permanent nature?
What factors would keep said free roaming deer in any location where damage such as this could occur, would it not have run off at the scent of smoke and or heat?
For said deer to have sustained such smoke damage would not the heat generating the smoke have ruptured the eyeballs?

Musing on.
 
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