Ocular Surgery

When a dog's eyelids roll inwards, hair rubs on the surface of the eye each time the dog blinks. This causes pain, and increased tear production, and will eventually damage the cornea if left untreated.

If entropion has developed because of a condition that will eventually resolve, your vet may temporarily suture the eyelids until the eyelids return to normal. In other cases, surgery may be necessary to permanently repair abnormal eyelid anatomy.

Cataracts

Cataracts are when part or all of a lens of the eye develops a cloudy, opaque appearance. Cataracts block light from reaching the back of the eye, and this can result in poor vision or even blindness, depending on their severity.

Glaucoma

The production and drainage of fluid in the eye is precisely balanced to maintain constant, consistent pressure. When this balance is disrupted and pressure within the eye increases, it's called glaucoma.

Symptoms of glaucoma include pain, increased tear production, redness, corneal cloudiness, a visible third eyelid, and/or dilated pupils. In advanced cases, eyes can become enlarged.

Dogs have three eyelids: two that are visible and a third one that is usually hidden from view in the inner corner of the eye. The third eyelid contains a tear-producing gland. This gland is also usually invisible, but some dogs have a congenital weakness of the ligaments that hold it in place.

When these ligaments fail, the gland pops out of its normal location, and it looks like there is a “cherry” stuck at the inner corner of the eye.

To treat cherry eye, the animal eye surgeon will perform a straightforward surgical procedure that will help return the gland to its normal position.

Start by trying to remove the foreign object or substance by flushing your pet’s eye with saline solution. Your dog may not be receptive to this as they more than likely will be experiencing some pain.

Do not attempt to remove the object with your fingers or tweezers, as this might cause permanent damage to the eye itself.

If you cannot flush the object out yourself, take your pet to your veterinarian as soon as possible so that your pet doesn’t experience any complications.
 

Not all dogs and cats that have cataracts necessarily need cataract surgery. In fact, most don't. This is because most of the time, lens opacities in dogs and cats are very small, and don’t interfere much with vision.

Only a veterinary ophthalmologist can determine if cat or dog eye surgery is required for a given patient. It is usually only done when the cataract is severely hindering the animal's ability to see.

Cataract surgery is not a life-saving surgery — it is a quality-of-life surgery. Restoring a blind dog or cat's vision with cataract surgery can give the animal a new lease on life.

For a blind dog or cat to again be able to see its owner, play with toys, look out the window and actually see things is life-changing for the patient and their owner. This is especially true if the animal is elderly and also deaf or hard of hearing, and/or has dementia or cognitive issues.