Eye disease in dogs ranges from minor irritation to painful glaucoma and progressive blindness. Early recognition and management prevent suffering and preserve vision in conditions where intervention is possible.
Eye disease in dogs creates welfare costs that vary dramatically by condition. Glaucoma is acutely, severely painful - the elevated pressure causes a sensation described by affected humans as an ice-pick headache behind the eye. Dogs with acute glaucoma show marked pain behavior and require emergency treatment to relieve pressure and prevent permanent blindness. Chronic dry eye causes continuous corneal irritation - like having grit in the eye at all times - that is undertreated in many dogs because the behavioral signs are subtle. Progressive retinal atrophy is painless but causes increasing anxiety from reduced spatial awareness. Genetic eye diseases that affect many purebred dogs represent preventable welfare failures in breeding programs that fail to use available screening tools.