How will cataracts be diagnosed in my dog and what is the treatment?

Cataracts can be relatively easy to see on most dogs. You can get a light and a certain amount of magnification and peer into the pupil area. People will sometimes see corneas glazed over the outside of the eyeball and say, "Oh, my dog has a cataract", when cataracts are really inside the eyeball. They're in the lens, behind the colored part. So we can peek in there and see if we can get the light all the way through, and you can usually see a cataract on there. Dogs can't tell you, "I saw double or triple of everything," so you've got to look for them.

There is cataract surgery for dogs. We don't do it here, but some specialists do that. That is an option, but the difference in people is that they do cataract surgery way sooner than they typically would in dogs. We can see dogs with small cataracts that aren't a big deal and never give any issues, and then you've got cataracts that are legitimately affecting their vision and their quality of life. Those are the ones that you'll get surgery for.

Cataracts are where the lens becomes super thickened, and it's almost mineralized. No light can get to the back of the eye. I cannot see to the back of the retina when I'm looking with my scope, and they cannot see out. Cataracts can be diagnosed through a physical exam. They appear like a bright white starburst in the eye. The only 100% effective treatment for cataracts is cataract surgery, in which the diseased lens is liquefied and replaced with an artificial one. It's actually amazing because these animals wake up and they can see. There was a case I saw in vet school, it was an older diabetic dog. She was about eight or nine, and she's been blind for two years. She was my patient, and when she woke up, I was right there with her. I got to take her outside for the first time, and she hadn't been able to see for two years. Just seeing the joy on this dog's face is amazing. There are veterinary ophthalmologists that can perform cataract surgery, but it's a highly rewarding surgery and it is a fix.

Cataracts in dogs are similar to those in humans. The lens in the middle of the eye becomes white, solid, and opaque, making it impossible to see through. We diagnose cataracts by examining the eye with a light. Sometimes cataracts are due to aging, but they can also occur in diabetic dogs or as a result of an eye injury. Treatment options include leaving the cataract untreated, though this can lead to inflammation and secondary glaucoma, or referring your dog to a veterinary ophthalmologist who can remove the cataract and potentially restore some sight.