Hereditary eye conditions in dogs cause chronic pain, visual impairment, and in severe cases blindness. Breed-specific health screening and selective breeding can significantly reduce prevalence.
Hereditary eye conditions cause chronic welfare harm in affected dogs. Progressive retinal atrophy leads to progressive vision loss and eventual blindness — while dogs adapt remarkably well to blindness, the progressive loss of function represents genuine impairment. Conditions causing acute pain — glaucoma (increased intraocular pressure) and entropion (inturned eyelids causing corneal abrasion) — represent more immediate welfare problems. The welfare-positive response is prevention through responsible breeding: testing breeding dogs for known heritable conditions and using results to avoid producing affected offspring.