vet advice -conjuctivitis

[Teresa Van Hove <vanhove@ucar.edu>]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice on dealing with my geldings conjuctivis.
He's had this for a good month now.  Had some irration that seemed
to clear up on its own in a few days, then came back so I had the
vet out.  6 days of antibiotic eye ointment, but I only got him
dosed once/day.  Relapsed, so I got more ointment, the weather
cooperated and I diligently dosed him 2x/daily for 8.5 days.  
His right eye still showed irration but I thought perhaps that
was due to my amature handling of his eyelids to get the ointment
applied.  It wasn't and he got snotty eyes (both eyes) again in a few
days, so I'm applying ointment again, but its been too cold to manage
twice daily.  (I simply cant get the ointment to stay in his eye
instead of sticking to the tube when the temp is too low)

So: series of questions -
My vet recommended using a fly mask and I had been doing, but
stopped now in case the mask was causing recontamination.
Yesterday afternoon his left eye which has been less affected
seemed really red.  

Does the antibiotic ointment cause sun sensitivity?  
No warning on the insert but now I'm wondering.

Can horses get conjuctivitis from a dietary allergic 
reaction?  This horse has a history of becoming sensitive
to any kind of brace after a 2-3 uses.  I've pulled his
supplements, I'd been giving him corta-flx as a preventative
but am wondering if its possible for horses to be sensitive to
the ingredients.

Anyone know of any treatments that don't require 2x/daily
application to work.  General suggestions.

Grey Moun and I will appreciate any suggestions to clear this up.
Thanks,
Teresa