Your senior dog's eyes have become cloudy and he appears to be losing his vision. A veterinary diagnosis reveals ocular disease that will need immediate treatment and medication if he is ever going to be comfortable again.
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Causes
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Diseases that cause your dog's eyes to become cloudy include cataracts, uveitis (an inflammation of the colored parts of the eye), cancers, corneal ulcers, glaucoma, entropion (turning in of the eyelid) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or "dry eye." Corneal ulcers, entropion and "dry eye" cause scarring of the cornea and give the appearance of a cloudy eye, while cataracts, uveitis and glaucoma can turn the lens a milky, cloudy white.
Symptoms
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Your dog may present with a white, cloudy lens, inflamed cornea (the white of the eye), and some type of ocular discharge. He may squint or rub at the eye, showing signs of pain.
Treatment
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Veterinary treatment of canine eye disease depends on the diagnosis and severity of the disease. In the case of entropion, ocular cancers and some dogs with cataracts, surgery may be needed to correct the problem. Veterinarians normally treat corneal ulcers, "dry eye," glaucoma and uveitis with topical eye medications that restore stasis (normalcy) to the eye.
Considerations
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Once veterinary treatment begins, your vet might recommend continuing medicating your dog at home to alleviate all the symptoms of the disease.
Warning
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Many canine eye diseases are chronic and your dog may require medication for the rest of his life.
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