Eye diseases
The SKK website
On the website of the Swedish Kennel Club (SKK) you can read about the requirements for registering the results of eye examinations, as well as about the most common eye diseases. The Adnexa pages also contain links to articles about canine eye health.
Below is information about a selection of hereditary eye diseases.
A selection of hereditary diseases
Distichiasis
Misplaced eyelashes emerging on the eyelid margin inside the normal lashes. They can irritate and damage the cornea. There is a hereditary tendency to develop problems with misplaced lashes.
Corneal dystrophy
Opacities in the cornea (often consisting of lipids) that may be hereditary.
Endothelial dystrophy
The innermost layer of the cornea has become too thin and lets fluid (oedema) into the cornea, which turns grey. This disease is hereditary in the Boston Terrier.
Vitreous prolapse
The vitreous is a gelatinous tissue behind the lens. Vitreous tissue can prolapse through the pupil into the anterior chamber. This may be an early sign that the lens will luxate or subluxate from its attachment.
Day and night blindness
The retina contains two types of light cells: cones (bright light and colour) and rods (grey scales in dim light and darkness). If only one type is affected, the animal sees poorly either at night or during the day. These diseases cannot be seen at an eye examination, but can be diagnosed with an ERG. A gene test (blood test) exists for night blindness in the Briard.
Retinopathy
On examination of the fundus, other retinal changes are sometimes found that do not match a known disease. These are given the diagnosis retinopathy, meaning a pathological change in the retina. Some retinopathies are suspected to be hereditary.
Glaucoma
The fluid pressure inside the eye becomes too high, usually because drainage in the iridocorneal angle is poor. The retina cannot tolerate high pressure and the eye may become blind. Glaucoma in dogs is harder to treat than in humans, and vision can rarely be preserved for more than 1–2 years with medication. Glaucoma is hereditary in several breeds. The disease is not visible before the pressure has risen, so an ordinary eye examination does not provide a diagnosis.