Almost everyone is familiar with the eye disease called glaucoma. Maybe a family member or friend has glaucoma. Did you know that glaucoma is one of the more common causes of blindness in dogs? It's true. In fact canine glaucoma strikes one in every two hundred dogs and the result is often loss of sight.
People with glaucoma know something is wrong. They can feel the changes in the eye and they often seek medical attention in time to save their sight. With dogs things can be different.
It's not that they don't feel the changes, it's that they have trouble communicating the problem to their owners and the changes can be subtle enough that an owner may not notice them in time. Time is of the essence with this disease. Symptoms lasting as little as a few hours can result in permanent blindness.
What is glaucoma and what causes it?
Basically glaucoma is the result of increased fluid pressure in the eye. Normal eyes produce
aqueous humor that circulates in the anterior part of the eye. In normal dogs the production of this fluid is matched by drainage of the fluid out of the eye so that the intraocular pressure is maintained within very narrow limits. With glaucoma there is some type of interference with the normal drainage and as a result the pressure within the eye builds up to dangerous levels. While the eye is strong enough to withstand this pressure without actually bursting, the increased pressure can damage the cells of the retina and the optic nerve enough to create permanent damage and blindness.
Certain breeds like
Dachshunds,
Norwegian Elkhounds,
Beagles, Miniature Poodles, Basset Hounds, Cocker Spaniels and a few others are most commonly affected with primary glaucoma. There may be some inherited defect in eye drainage in these breeds. Any breed can be affected by secondary
glaucoma that can results from any disease or accident that results in an increase in intraocular pressure. Trauma, infection and neoplasia are examples of conditions that create inflammation serious enough to raise pressures to dangerous levels.
As I mentioned before the signs of glaucoma can be subtle. If you see anything that makes you think your dogs is experiencing eye pain, pay close attention. They may rub their eyes with their paws or on the carpet. They may tear excessively and squint in bright light. Their pupils may appear dilated and you may even detect that one eye appears larger or more prominent than the other. The blood vessels in the white part of the eye may appear dilated or swollen with blood.
If you see anything like this get to the vet immediately. A delay of even a few hours can result in blindness. Quick attention can save their eyesight.
Treatment is aimed at immediately decreasing the pressure in the eye by reducing the production of fluid or increasing the rate of drainage or both. Treatment for pain is indicated, too.
The problem with dogs is that they may not respond to medical treatment as well as people seem to respond. People can be maintained on drug therapy for years with good success. Dogs may respond well in the short term and some may respond well for longer periods but surgery seems to provide the best long term control in dogs.
There are a number of different surgical approaches that have had good results. A veterinary opthamologist can advise you about the procedure that is right for your dog. These specialists in eye care can be very helpful with a disease as serious as this. Your regular veterinarian can refer you to a specialist and in most cases they will.
Early detection is key with glaucoma. If you have one of the breeds we mentioned previously pay close attention to their eyes on a regular basis and ask about this condition on routine veterinary visits. Blindness from glaucoma is permanent.