Antibiotic eye drops will also be used with the surgery to eliminate infections. If surgery is performed, the lid is actually split and the areas with abnormal hairs are removed. With electro-epilation, a fine needle is passed into the hair follicle and the follicle is burned to destroy the hair and its roots. Treatment involves the removal of the hairs through the use of surgery or electro-epilation. Blindness can result if infections do develop. The hairs can cause severe irritation and without treatment will usually worsen. Left untreated, severe corneal ulcerations and infections can develop. ![]() In severe cases, the cornea may become ulcerated and appear bluish in color. The dog will squint or blink very often, much like a person when a bug or other foreign matter enters the eye. The affected eye will become red, inflamed, and may develop a discharge. The abnormal hairs growing on the inner surface of the lids cause irritation to the cornea. Both upper and lower lids may be involved. Distichiasisĭistichiasis is a condition in which small hair structures abnormally grow on the inner surface of the eyelids ( see diagram ). Cataracts can also occur from ocular inflammation, specific metabolic diseases, persistent pupillary membrane ( PPM ), or nutritional deficiencies.īreeding of affected animals is not recommended. However, cataracts may result from injuries to the eye, exposure to great heat, radiation, diabetes, and old age (senile). The prudent approach is to assume cataracts to be hereditary. This operation is usually recommended for the dog who has so much visual impairment that it has trouble getting around. Treatment consists of surgical removal of the lens ( cataract extraction ). Some are clearly visible to the naked eye, appearing as white or bluish dots. ![]() Any spot on the lens that is opaque, regardless of size, is considered a cataract. CataractsĪ cataract is defined as a loss of the normal transparency of the lens of the eye. With the help of the general membership in testing of their own dogs, more information can be gathered in the quest to identify and eliminate these problems. They vary in severity from those that progress with a few, subtle signs, like PRA ( Progressive Retinal Atrophy ), to those that strike like a thunderclap, like PLL ( Primary Lens Luxation ), when the dog is fine Thursday and blind on Friday. ![]() This article touches on only some of the ones that have come to attention through recurrence. Several eye disorders have been identified in the Jack Russell Terrier. The brain translates the impulses into images, creating vision. The nerve cells within the retina transform the light into nerve impulses which leave the eyeball by the optic nerve and enter the brain. Dogs do, however, have many rods and other reflective cells which enable them to see in very dim light. They see only shadow of gray, black, and white. Unlike humans, the canine possesses very few cones and that is why domestic dogs are thought to be color blind. The rods are sensitive to light and the cones are sensitive to color. The retina contains nerve cells called rods and cones. The lens bends, concentrates and focuses the light so it will land on the rear area of the eyeball called the retina. This is important as too much can cause pain and/or damage to the eye just as in humans.īehind the pupil lies the lens which is a pea sized organ that is normally clear. Conversely, in bright light the pupil becomes smaller. In dim light, the pupil is made larger so as to let more light enter the eye. This opening can be made larger or smaller as muscles called ciliary bodies ( which are attached to the colored iris ) expand or contract. In the center of the iris is an opening called the pupil. As in humans, dogs have different colored eyes and this is determined by the color of the iris. In the interior of the ball is the colored portion called the iris. Inside the eyeball are specialized organs bathed in a liquid called vitreous fluid, which keeps the eyeball "inflated" and supplies nutrients to the structure within the eye. The cornea lets the light enter in to the eye. The clear portion of the eye is the cornea and it is made of layers of cells arranged in a unique fashion so as to be transparent. The white area called the sclera is made of tough fibers rich in blood vessels which transport oxygen and nutrients to the eye. The eyeball itself is formed by layers of tissue (see Figures 1 & 2). The eye is protected by being sealed in a bony eye socket supported by lubricating tissues, muscles, and eyelids. The eyeball functions to gather light and transmit it into electrical impulses which are interpreted by the brain to form images. The visual system is an important sense available to the canine.
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