Canine Corneal Eye Problems

The cornea is the clear part of a dog's eye. Although dogs have an inner eyelid to help protect the eye, problems with the cornea often occur. According to Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, dogs with flat faces and bulging eyes like pugs, Boston terriers or Pekingese are far more prone to having cornea problems than other breeds of dogs.

  1. Symptoms

    • According to "The Veterinarians' Guide to Your Dog's Symptoms," a dog may be suffering from a problem with the cornea include squinting, excessive tearing, hiding the head from light, an overall reluctance to move, bumping suddenly into objects or having the pupils be different sizes. Another indication may be when the inner eyelid will not go back into place.

    Causes

    • Dogs develop problems with their corneas due to injuries, from genetic deformities of the eyes or eyelids, such as inverted eyelids or inherited diseases such as corneal dystrophy. They also can come as a complication from other medical conditions like bacterial infection in the eye, diabetes, Addison's disease, hypothyroidism or keratoconjuctivitis sicca.

    Treatment

    • Problems with a dog's cornea needs prompt veterinary treatment because the dog will be in a lot of pain. According to Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, corenal abrasions and some corneal ulcers usually clear up with antibiotic drops or ointments. Only advanced cases of corneal ulcers or an inverted eyelid need surgery. However, there is no effective long-term treatment for corneal dystrophy, but they are not considered to be painful in dogs.

    Prognosis

    • Dogs with any kind of injury or genetic condition of the cornea always run the risk of going blind in that eye. In the case of corneal dystrophy, this differs. If the disease comes on suddenly and progresses rapidly, then blindness is inevitable. But if it comes on slowly, then there is a chance the dog will not go blind.

    Speculation

    • According to MSNBC, in 2008, an experimental surgery with a plastic cornea was successful in a blind 7-year-old dog named Dixie. This artificial cornea may help other dogs suffering from cornea problems in the future. Cornea transplants have been performed in dogs for many years, but comes with the problem of rejection.