Can A Dog Go Blind From Cataracts

They can however impede their quality of life.

Can a dog go blind from cataracts.

Cataracts can develop literally overnight and if they re not treated glaucoma develops which is an extremely painful condition. Cataracts may also be described as incipient immature mature and hypermature. To review the lens absorbs glucose from the fluids of the eye and uses this glucose as nutrition. Cataracts are a cloudy film that grows over the eye.

Infections or inflammation viral bacterial fungal cataracts can be caused by diabetes mellitus toxins genetics or other diseases glaucoma. Cataracts in a dog. As with uveitis cataracts can affect either only one eye or both. Gwen sila a veterinary opthamologist for bluepearl veterinary partners in michigan categorizes canine cataracts in three ways.

A cataract is an opacity in the lens of a dog s eye causing him to have blurry vision. Snoop goes blind in both eyes. In some cases the development of cataracts can also be slowed down but there are times where surgical treatment isn t an option and your dog is going to lose its sight. They grow slowly and lead to complete blindness over time if left untreated.

Incipient cataracts cover less than 15 percent of the surface area of the lens she says. Eventually when the disease completes its damage the entire eye will have turned white blinding the dog. Do you know what can cause your dog to go blind and can you do anything about it. If the opacity progresses to 100 of the lens the dog is blind inthe affected eye.

Contrary to popular belief cataracts do not cause pain in the dog. When it advances this layer will become thicker. I touched on cataracts briefly above but since i m mentioning diabetes specifically it s important to be aware that within 9 months of a dog being diagnosed with diabetes 3 out of 4 will develop cataracts and go blind. However whether the cataract remains static or progresses will depend on the type of cataract the breed and other risk factors.

Additionally there are different types of cataracts. Glaucoma is a condition that causes pressure to build up in one or both eyes which leads to blindness if left untreated. Some causes of blindness are the result of issues within the eye while others can be systemic or affect other parts of the body as well as the eyes. Most of the time yes dogs with cataracts can still see.

Generally the cataract has matured and the dog is blind in a matter of weeks. Until recently the development of blindness in a diabetic dog was basically a foregone conclusion but there is a new product called kinostat which has changed this. In severe cases of cataracts your dog can go blind. If the cataract is small it won t likely disturb the dog s vision too much but cataracts must be.