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How I Approach… The Dog with Failing Eyesight
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Introduction
When dealing with a dog that has started to lose its eyesight, it is essential – as with so many other situations in veterinary medicine – to initiate the consultation by obtaining a good history. The following points are especially pertinent.
What is the signalment?
It is an axiom that many eye conditions present themselves with a particular history in certain ages and breeds of pedigree dogs. To understand veterinary ophthalmology the beginner should know which breeds develop certain eye conditions. For example, if presented with an 8-year-old Labrador with a history of night blindness and ophthalmic examination confirms the presence of bilateral retinal degeneration, then this is very suggestive of generalized progressive retinal atrophy (gPRA). A dog that presents with a painful, cloudy blind eye may well have glaucoma, but if it is a Jack Russell Terrier, the glaucoma is very likely secondary to primary lens luxation. Ophthalmic examination, including tonometry, would confirm the diagnosis and enable prompt treatment. Indeed misdiagnosis of this case might be considered negligent, so by learning which conditions affect each breed the aspiring ophthalmologist will be half way to understanding the subject.
Key Points
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History taking is key when presented with a dog that has failing eyesight; it is especially important to note the animal’s signalment and to determine when the poor eyesight was first noted by the owner.
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Do not rush the process of getting an animal into the consult room and onto the table; take time to observe the dog as it walks and try to judge how good or bad its eyesight is.
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Visual tracking, using a cotton-wool ball, is very useful when assessing an animal’s sight, but other tests, including the pupillary light reflex, should also be conducted.
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It is not uncommon to be presented with an animal with failing eyesight that also has normal ocular features of aging, and it is essential to be able to differentiate these from an acquired pathology.
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