Dogs bumping into walls may not raise any concern, but when it becomes frequent, there may be a need to check for glaucoma. Glaucoma should be treated as an emergency and be reported to the vet to prevent it from progressing. In this article, you will learn all about glaucoma, its causes, types, symptoms, and how to manage it.

Content:

  1. What Is Glaucoma in Dogs?
  2. Causes
  3. Signs & Symptoms: Early vs. Advanced Glaucoma
  4. Glaucoma vs. Cataracts
  5. Treatment & Managing a Dog with Glaucoma
  6. Prognosis: Is Glaucoma Painful? Can It Be Cured or Prevented?
  7. Conclusion

What Is Glaucoma in Dogs?

Glaucoma of the eye is a condition caused by an increased intraocular pressure in the eye. This pressure results in damage to nerve endings and impedes blood supply to the eye.

“A ‘sink’ analogy where a drain is clogged works well to describe what is happening with glaucoma”
— Dr. Mark Bobofchak

Causes

Glaucoma is primarily caused by inadequate drainage of aqueous humor from the eye. This leads to overproduction and logging of fluid in the eye, disrupting blood flow and damaging nerve endings. Broadly, glaucoma could be classified as primary and secondary glaucoma.

Primary vs. Secondary Glaucoma

Primary glaucoma is caused by increased intraocular pressure in the eye. This factor has been linked to genetics and inherited impaired anatomical structures in some breeds of dogs such as Cocker spaniel, bull mastiff, chow chow, and beagles, with Cocker Spaniel having the highest rate of occurrence as claimed by some studies.

Secondary glaucoma is triggered by external risk factors which can damage nerve endings, clog the eye, cause inflammation or restrict blood flow. Some research has revealed that cataracts may also be a risk factor for glaucoma in dogs. Some of the secondary causes include:

  • Lens Luxation; the lens may slip out of place and disrupt the eye’s drainage system
  • Disease condition that damages blood vessels
  • Eye trauma that damages eye nerve endings
  • Steroid medications could cause increased pressure as side effects
  • Uveitis (Eye Inflammation)
  • Eye injury that disrupts flow of fluids inside the eye
  • Cataract surgery may predisposes to glaucoma

Signs & Symptoms: Early vs. Advanced Glaucoma

It might be tricky to identify early stages of glaucoma in dogs, but symptoms like infrequent bumping into walls, and cautiousness in dim light could point towards early signs of glaucoma.

In my experience, some dog owners usually report symptoms of glaucoma at advanced stages. The advanced stage of glaucoma is more symptomatic with clear signs. At this stage, it is necessary to treat it as an emergency. Report to the vet if any of the following symptoms are observed:

Glaucoma vs. Cataracts

These are both eye conditions but differ in many respects. While glaucoma is caused by high intraocular pressure and fluid buildup, cataract is described as an opacity of the eye lens. Their pain levels differ, with glaucoma being extremely painful while cataract could occur without inflicting pain on the dog.

Glaucoma in the eyes presents as bulging eyes with red patches and cataracts are seen with milky-white film covering the eyes of the dog.

Treatment & Managing a Dog with Glaucoma

Treatment of glaucoma is done to stop the pain and prevent blindness primarily. For basic treatment, eye drops and pills are used to reduce pain, pressure, fluid build-up and inflammation within the eye.

“50% of dogs with glaucoma will go completely blind within a year“
— Reddit User

Further treatment such as laser surgery or drainage implants could be adopted for advanced cases. For end-stage glaucoma, there would be a need to carry out enucleation or intraocular prosthesis to relieve pain.

Management after treatment involves frequent check-ups, close-up monitoring which can be done effectively with the Petcube App. This Cam helps to monitor post-surgical recovery and provides video recordings of symptoms such as eye rubbing or squinting. These recordings could be used to study recovery progression and enhance glaucoma management in dogs through the AI-powered features of the Petcube App.

Prognosis: Is Glaucoma Painful? Can It Be Cured or Prevented?

The main challenge in glaucoma is vision loss. Even with surgery, vision could rapidly deteriorate in months, making prognosis poor. Glaucoma only deteriorates and has no cure. Preventing glaucoma could almost be impossible if its genetics. While secondary glaucoma could be prevented.

Conclusion

Glaucoma is a painful eye condition that is caused by increased intraocular pressure in the eye or external risk factors such as eye trauma. With a poor prognosis, it is essential to report any symptoms of glaucoma in time to prevent progression and worsening of the condition.

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