'One good deed a day' - Doctor fashions plastic eyes for blind horse
Monday August 31, 2009
The request was a little strange, but in the end Dr. Raymond Peters decided it made good horse sense. So he's begun fashioning a set of plastic eyes for a Lothian woman's blind appaloosa.
"I've always lived by the adage "Do one good deed a day,' and this is a good deed," said Dr. Peters, who runs the Eye Restoration Clinic in Upper Marlboro.
If all goes well, Lucky, a 10-year-old gelding owned by Jackie Harris, will have a brand new set of blue eyes in about two weeks.
The eyes won't restore Lucky's sight, but they'll keep away the flies that have been plaguing him since last summer.
And they'll enable Mrs. Harris to once again ride in official dressage competitions.
As it stands now, Mrs. Harris rides the horse in trail competitions and informal events. Lucky is so well trained and responds so effortlessly to her commands that he doesn't need to see, she said.
Lucky is fitted with a special blue mesh mask but it's not sanctioned for official shows.
Once he has his new eyes, that won't be a problem.
"I expect to be able to take him as far as you can go in dressage," Mrs. Harris said. "Every day I can ride him, I look at it as a gift."
Mrs. Harris met Dr. Peters at a social function, heard about his work on an occasional dog or cat, and mentioned her plight.
A few days later he visited the horse and learned they had something in common - a fondness for Gummi bears.
"Apparently, he was just real interested to see what he could do for this fella," Mrs. Harris said. "They liked each other right away".
In fact, Dr. Peters was so taken by Lucky that he offered to make the set of false eyes for free.
"I'm really an artist at heart," said the doctor, who lives in Edgewater. "I feel a sense of satisfaction whenever I deliver eyes."
Lucky, whose full name is "Yes I'm Lucky," was raised by the 44-year-old housewife from a foal. He began losing his sight from a bacterial infection and then developed glaucoma.
He's been totally blind since June 1991, although Mrs. Harris didn't discover that until one day after a ride when a veterinarian came to her home to examine Lucky.
Up to then, Mrs. Harris thought Lucky could still see out of one eye.
She's continued to ride for personal satisfaction, but also to send a message to other owners of blind horses.
"If you have a horse that's blind, or going blind, you don't have to stop riding," Mrs. Harris said. "It's just like people - you don't have to stop doing things."
Dr. Peters already has taken impressions of Lucky's eye sockets to get a proper fit for the prostheses. Once they're ready, the plastic eyes will be slipped over his damaged ones like contact lenses. He physician wasn't sure whether the procedure has been tried with a horse before.
Then the doctor and Mrs. Harris will have to see if Lucky accepts the eyes.
If he does, they'll become permanent. If he doesn't, they'll have to explore another option.
No matter what happens, Mr. Harris said she'll keep riding Lucky.
"He's so secure when I ride him that I sometimes forget he can't see," she said.
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"I've always lived by the adage "Do one good deed a day,' and this is a good deed," said Dr. Peters, who runs the Eye Restoration Clinic in Upper Marlboro.
If all goes well, Lucky, a 10-year-old gelding owned by Jackie Harris, will have a brand new set of blue eyes in about two weeks.
The eyes won't restore Lucky's sight, but they'll keep away the flies that have been plaguing him since last summer.
And they'll enable Mrs. Harris to once again ride in official dressage competitions.
As it stands now, Mrs. Harris rides the horse in trail competitions and informal events. Lucky is so well trained and responds so effortlessly to her commands that he doesn't need to see, she said.
Lucky is fitted with a special blue mesh mask but it's not sanctioned for official shows.
Once he has his new eyes, that won't be a problem.
"I expect to be able to take him as far as you can go in dressage," Mrs. Harris said. "Every day I can ride him, I look at it as a gift."
Mrs. Harris met Dr. Peters at a social function, heard about his work on an occasional dog or cat, and mentioned her plight.
A few days later he visited the horse and learned they had something in common - a fondness for Gummi bears.
"Apparently, he was just real interested to see what he could do for this fella," Mrs. Harris said. "They liked each other right away".
In fact, Dr. Peters was so taken by Lucky that he offered to make the set of false eyes for free.
"I'm really an artist at heart," said the doctor, who lives in Edgewater. "I feel a sense of satisfaction whenever I deliver eyes."
Lucky, whose full name is "Yes I'm Lucky," was raised by the 44-year-old housewife from a foal. He began losing his sight from a bacterial infection and then developed glaucoma.
He's been totally blind since June 1991, although Mrs. Harris didn't discover that until one day after a ride when a veterinarian came to her home to examine Lucky.
Up to then, Mrs. Harris thought Lucky could still see out of one eye.
She's continued to ride for personal satisfaction, but also to send a message to other owners of blind horses.
"If you have a horse that's blind, or going blind, you don't have to stop riding," Mrs. Harris said. "It's just like people - you don't have to stop doing things."
Dr. Peters already has taken impressions of Lucky's eye sockets to get a proper fit for the prostheses. Once they're ready, the plastic eyes will be slipped over his damaged ones like contact lenses. He physician wasn't sure whether the procedure has been tried with a horse before.
Then the doctor and Mrs. Harris will have to see if Lucky accepts the eyes.
If he does, they'll become permanent. If he doesn't, they'll have to explore another option.
No matter what happens, Mr. Harris said she'll keep riding Lucky.
"He's so secure when I ride him that I sometimes forget he can't see," she said.