CATTLE ARE FREQUENTLY AFFECTED BY SERIOUS EYE DISEASES SUCH AS PINK EYE (INFECTIOUS BOVINE KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS) AND CANCER (OCULAR SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA). THESE DISEASES CAN SERIOUSLY AFFECT ANIMAL WELFARE AND CAUSE ECONOMIC BURDEN TO PRODUCERS. WE BELIEVE THAT CATTLE WILL HAVE UNDERLYING ALTERATIONS IN THE GROUPS OF BACTERIA ON THE SURFACE OF THE EYE WHEN THESE ANIMALS HAVE PINK EYE OR EYE CANCER. BY UNDERSTANDING THESE BACTERIAL ALTERATIONS WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP NEW TREATMENTS FOR THESE DISEASES. WE ARE GOING TO USE AN ADVANCED TECHNIQUE CALLED 16S NEXT-GENERATION MICROBIOME SEQUENCING TO DETECT AND QUANTIFY THESE BACTERIAL GROUPS IN NORMAL ANIMALS AND ANIMALS WITH EYE CANCER OR PINK EYE. WE EXPECT THAT WE WILL IDENTIFY GROUPS OF BACTERIA WHICH ARE PRESENT OR ABSENT IN THESE DISEASED EYES AND THAT THIS NEW INFORMATION COULD HELP FORM THE BASIS OF NEW TREATMENTS - POTENTIALLY WITHOUT THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS. THIS WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN HOW THESE COMMON EYE DISEASES AFFECT THE BACTERIA ON THE SURFACE OF THE EYE AND AVAILABLE EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS ARE LACKING. BY UNDERSTANDING THESE CHANGES IN ANIMALS WITH EYE DISEASE, NEW TREATMENTS COULD BECOME AVAILABLE FOR BOTH PINK EYE AND EYE CANCER IN CATTLE.